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View synonyms for scarcely

scarcely

[ skairs-lee ]

adverb

  1. barely; hardly; not quite:

    The light is so dim we can scarcely see.

  2. definitely not:

    This is scarcely the time to raise such questions.

  3. probably not:

    You could scarcely have chosen better.



scarcely

/ ˈskɛəslɪ /

adverb

  1. hardly at all; only just
  2. ironic.
    probably not or definitely not

    that is scarcely justification for your actions



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Usage Note

See hardly.

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Usage

See hardly

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Word History and Origins

Origin of scarcely1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; scarce, -ly

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Synonym Study

See hardly.

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Example Sentences

This is amazing progress considering that marriage equality in the first state was achieved scarcely more than a decade ago.

And he scarcely bothered to hide his chief ambition: to lead his country as prime minister.

And as he sees it they were scarcely more qualified than he was to lead a group of green soldiers into battle.

The Internet gives video on demand the kind of universal reach that revival houses could scarcely dream of.

Law is weak in Iraq and scarcely exists apart from violence.

I assure you, no matter how beautifully we play any piece, the minute Liszt plays it, you would scarcely recognize it!

But he walked up and down the room and forced himself to listen, though he could scarcely bear it, I could see.

The artist, though emphasizing the latter, can scarcely achieve power in this without also attaining the former.

This reading secures scarcely anything more than a succession of sights to the eye or sounds to the ear.

For my part, I scarcely know what to say; inasmuch as I do not care either to affirm or deny a thing of which I have no proof.

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scarce as hen's teethscarcely ever