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hardly

HARD-lee/ˈhɑɹdli/UKHAHD-lee/ˈhɑːdli/

6 meanings of hardly

Practice

  1. 1
    scarcelyadverb
    Almost not, or only just.

    She could hardly wait for summer break to begin.

    There was hardly any food left in the fridge.

    UsageIt does not mean with effort: say work hard. Use hardly any and hardly ever.

    Similarbarely, scarcely

    Note
  2. 2
    by no meansadverb
    Not at all, definitely not.

    Missing one class hardly means you'll fail the course.

    Saying sorry once hardly fixes everything between them.

    UsageOften sounds dry or a little dismissive: hardly surprising, I hardly think so.

    Oppositecertainly, definitely

    Note
  3. 3
    no (in reply)interjection
    A short way to say 'no' or 'not really.'

    "Did the long drive tire you out?" "Hardly. I slept the whole way."

    "Is fixing the sink a big job?" "Hardly, it'll take ten minutes."

    UsageThis short answer can sound a bit cold. You can use it alone or add a reason.

    Oppositeabsolutely

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    adverbrare
    In a way that is hard to do and does not come easily.
    While in Chelsea, Anne Smiley pined, taking very hardly to her unaccustomed role of wife abandoned.
    1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable SchoolboyHere, hardly means with difficulty, not easily.

    Oppositeeasily, readily

    Note
  2. 5
    adverbdated
    In a harsh or severe way.
    "Mr. Cholmondeley, the young men out here are much too hardly worked to allow them time for paying impertinent compliments."
    1866, [O.G. Trevelyan], “The Dawk Bungalow”Here, hardly means harshly or severely.
    Only I wasn't at all pleased with that; I saw that he was simply sorry for me because I was so hardly treated by grandmother, and that was all.
    1918, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance GarnettHere, hardly means harshly, in a rough or unkind way.
    Note
  3. 6
    adverbobsolete
    With strength and force, in a firm way.
    Sometimes my pulse beat so quickly and hardly, that I felt the palpitation of every artery; at others, I nearly sank to the ground through languor and extreme weakness.
    1816, [Mary Shelley], FrankensteinHere, hardly means strongly and with force.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

From Old English heardlice, which meant things like "boldly," "not easily," or "in a painful way." It comes from "hard" plus "-ly."

Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 5 facts