Word Games Pro Dictionary

hardly

adverb

only a very short time before

Quick reference

Word Facts

Word length
6
Starts with
H
Ends with
Y
Contains
AR
Scrabble score
13
Database source
OEWN 2025 Core

How it sounds

Pronunciation

ˈhɑːdli

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Audio Pronunciation

Audio pronunciation is unavailable for this word.

Meaning

Definitions

adverb

  1. only a very short time before

    “we hardly knew them”

adverb

  1. almost not

    “he hardly ever goes fishing”

adverb

  1. slowly and with difficulty

    “prejudices die hard”

In context

Example Sentences

we hardly knew them
had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open
{'source': 'W.B.Yeats', 'text': 'would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave'}
he hardly ever goes fishing
he was scarce sixteen years old
they scarcely ever used the emergency generator
I can hardly hear what she is saying
she barely seemed to notice him
prejudices die hard
he was so dizzy he could hardly stand up straight

Similar words

Synonyms

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