Meaning & use
hardly
Last updated
Meanings
adverb
Almost not at all; only just.
Grammar: Used before a verb or adjective. It already has a negative sense, so do not add 'not'.
Patterns
- hardly + verb
- hardly + adjective
I hardly know him.
She hardly ever eats meat.
He hardly spoke during the meeting.
adverb
Certainly not; used to emphasize that something is not true or possible.
Grammar: Often used in short replies to disagree strongly.
Patterns
- hardly + clause
That's hardly a fair solution.
Hardly surprising, given the weather.
You can hardly blame her for being upset.
Common combinations
- hardly ever
- She hardly ever goes to the cinema.
- hardly any
- There was hardly any traffic this morning.
- hardly surprising
- It's hardly surprising that he was late.
- hardly possible
- It's hardly possible to finish this today.
Synonyms and how they differ
- barely
- Similar meaning, but 'barely' often suggests 'only just' with a focus on a small amount, while 'hardly' emphasizes almost not at all.
- scarcely
- More formal than 'hardly' and often used in writing.
- rarely
- Focuses on frequency, meaning 'not often', whereas 'hardly' focuses on degree or extent.
Opposites
Commonly confused: hardly or hard?
hardly vs hard
'Hard' can be an adverb meaning 'with effort' or 'severely' (e.g. work hard), while 'hardly' means 'almost not'.
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Choose one answer.
'Hardly' already has a negative meaning, so it is not used with 'don't'. The correct word order is 'hardly' before the verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hardly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.