Hardly
'hɑːrdli
Definitions
2 meaningsOnly just; almost not; scarcely.
'hɑːrdli
Almost not; barely.
She hardly ever visits.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have a tiny bit of something left, like the last drop of juice. 'Hardly' means there's almost none of it, or it's very little. For example, “There’s hardly any candy left after the party!”
👶 For kids: When you say "hardly", it means almost nothing. Like, "I hardly have any toys left!"
More Examples
I can hardly believe it!
We hardly saw him during the summer.
How It's Used
"I hardly know her."
"There's hardly any food left."
With difficulty, with great effort
'hɑːrdli
With difficulty; only with great effort.
The climber could hardly make it to the top of the mountain.
💡 Simply: It means to do something with a lot of trouble or effort. For example, "He could hardly get out of bed because he was sick."
👶 For kids: When you say "hardly", it sometimes means it was very difficult to do. "I could hardly climb the hill!"
More Examples
I could hardly understand the complicated instructions.
She could hardly breathe in the smoke.
How It's Used
"The wounded soldier could hardly stand."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
hardly ever
Almost never
"She hardly ever goes out."
hardly a...
Almost no...
"There was hardly a cloud in the sky."
From Middle English *hardeliche*, equivalent to *hard* (in the sense 'difficult') + *-ly*. The word's meaning shifted over time from 'with difficulty' to 'almost not at all'.
Historically, it was used to mean 'with difficulty' before evolving to its current meaning of 'almost not'.
Memory tip
Think of 'hard' meaning difficult. 'Hardly' then means something is only difficult to do, or almost not.
Word Origin
"difficult, harsh"