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scarcely

 - 2 dictionary results

scarce⋅ly

  [skairs-lee]
Use scarcely in a Sentence
–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; ME; see scarce, -ly

Synonyms:
1. See hardly.

Usage note:
1. See hardly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To scarcely
scarce·ly   (skârs'lē)   
adv.  

  1. By a small margin; barely: We scarcely made it in time.

  2. Almost not; hardly: We scarcely ever used the reserve generator.

  3. Certainly not: They could scarcely complain after such good treatment.

Usage Note: Because scarcely has the force of a negative, its use with another negative, as in I couldn't scarcely believe it, is regarded as incorrect. · A clause following scarcely is correctly introduced by when or before; the use of than, though common, is still unacceptable to some grammarians: The meeting had scarcely begun when (or before but not than) it was interrupted. See Usage Notes at double negative, hardly.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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