What does hardly mean?
Hardly is an adverb that means “scarcely” or “almost not.” It is commonly used to minimize a statement: a person may hardly notice a change, or something may be hardly possible. It can also occur before nouns such as “anyone” and with words such as “ever” or “any,” creating meanings like “almost no one” or “almost never.” In older or more formal English, hardly can mean “with difficulty,” though this use may sound dated in ordinary conversation. The negative force of the modern sense is especially useful because “hardly” is often weaker and more conversational than an outright denial. It also interacts interestingly with other negative expressions: “hardly ... without” can mean that something almost always happens. Hardly is therefore useful not only for expressing scarcity but also for shaping emphasis and suggesting degrees of likelihood or frequency.
adverbHardly means “scarcely” or “almost not”: it is used to minimize how often, how much, or how likely something is. In older or more formal usage, it can also mean “with difficulty.”
- Almost not; scarcely, the dominant modern sense.
- With difficulty or effort, an older and more formal or literary sense.
"By the time we reached the ridge, the gale had made it hardly possible to continue."
"She had hardly arrived when the telephone rang."
"Hardly anyone expected the small team to complete the survey so quickly."
Hardly began life meaning “with difficulty”; only around 1600 did it settle into its familiar modern sense of “almost not.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hardly come from?
Hardly is a Middle English formation from hard + -ly, originally meaning “with difficulty” or “toil and trouble.” By the early 17th century, it had developed the now-dominant sense “scarcely, almost not.” It ultimately descends from Old English heard, “hard, severe, difficult,” and belongs to a family that also includes hard, hardness, hardship, and harden.
How hardly is actually used
Hardly commonly introduces a following clause, as in “can hardly believe,” or precedes a quantifier such as “anyone.” Because it has negative force, it often conveys a degree of scarcity or improbability rather than an absolute denial. Its older sense of “with difficulty” is formal and may sound dated in ordinary conversation.
Easily confused with hardly
Hardly means “scarcely” or “almost not,” whereas hard means difficult, firm, or difficult to endure.