scarce·ly

[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.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English; see scarce, -ly

barely, hardly, scarcely (see synonym study at hardly).


1. See hardly.


1. See hardly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To scarcely
00:10
Scarcely is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
scarcely (ˈskɛəslɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adv
1.  hardly at all; only just
2.  ironic often probably not or definitely not: that is scarcely justification for your actions
 

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Example sentences
Until now the region had scarcely been explored because of its remoteness and
  depth.
It was scarcely walking to school uphill in the snow both ways, but it was
  different.
The stakes in the global-warming debate, however, could scarcely be higher.
But there was no outpouring of fear, scarcely even a whimper.
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