请输入您要查询的英文单词:

 

单词 hardly
释义

hardly

adverb

hard·​ly ˈhärd-lē How to pronounce hardly (audio)
1
a
used to emphasize a minimal amount or degree
I hardly knew her. [=I didn't know her well at all.]It's almost new—there's hardly a scratch [=there are almost no scratches] on it.There's been hardly any [=almost no] news.There's hardly any [=almost none] left.Hardly anyone [=almost no one] showed up.We hardly ever [=almost never] see you these days!
b
: by a narrow margin of time : only just
We've hardly begun.
c
: almost not
I can hardly believe it!
She was hardly able to control her excitement.
d
: certainly not
That news is hardly surprising.
That hardly seems fair. [=that certainly does not seem fair]
If you're satisfied with what you've got, you're hardly going to look for anything better.Flannery O'Connor
e
informal
used to soften a negative
… you can't hardly tell who anyone is or isn't.George Bernard Shaw
2
dated : with difficulty : painfully
… where the means of existence was wrung so hardly from the soil …Sir Winston Churchill
3
dated : in a severe manner : harshly
Things may go hardly with us … before the war is over.Nevil Shute
… he ranted on in a towering passion of wrath and grief. … He believed himself hardly used indeed.E. Barrington (Elizabeth Louisa Moresby Beck)
4
archaic : with force : vigorously
… earrings jangling down hardly on diminutive gold chains …Osbert Sitwell
Can hardly be used with a negative?: Usage Guide

Hardly in sense 1d is used sometimes with not for emphasis.

Just another day at the office? Not hardly.

In sense 1e with a negative verb (such as can't, wouldn't, didn't) it does not make a double negative but softens the negative. In "you can't hardly find a red one," the sense is that you can find a red one, but only with difficulty; in "you can't find a red one," the sense is that red ones are simply not available. Use of hardly with a negative verb is a speech form; it is most commonly heard in Southern and Midland speech areas. In other speech areas and in all discursive prose, hardly is normally used with a positive.

You can hardly find a red one.

Synonyms

  • brutally
  • hard
  • harshly
  • ill
  • oppressively
  • roughly
  • severely
  • sternly
  • stiffly
See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

It hardly matters what I think. The changes in service have hardly been noticed. There are hardly any new features in this software. Hardly anyone showed up for the meeting. Hardly a day goes by when I don't think about you. This is hardly a new idea for a movie. “Is this a new idea for a movie?” “Hardly! I've seen dozens of movies just like it.” See More
Recent Examples on the Web The Synnestvedts are hardly the only siblings C-C’s Jeff Campbell has coached in his 10-year tenure leading the school’s Nordic program. Brad Joyal, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Feb. 2023 However, the need to foresee the future, and the limited ability to predict unexpected and extreme challenges is hardly a new phenomenon. Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023 Real estate along the rope was hardly at a premium, even when Emmitt Smith and Carli Lloyd come by. The Arizona Republic, 9 Feb. 2023 That vote will hardly be the last say on the plan, which is expected to remain alive in the House’s budget bill, which also contains language to create a stadium authority. Sam Fortier, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2023 The decades since have hardly been unmitigated failures. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023 There was hardly a dry eye in the Crypto.com Arena nor on couches around the world watching the 2023 Grammy Awards during its in memoriam segment, which honored the biggest names in music that died in the past year. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2023 The balloon was hardly a birthday party fly-away: Up to 200 feet tall, with a payload weighing more than 2,000 pounds, and potentially with explosives to self-detonate if China so chose. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023 But Jasmine Sharma, the recent Northwestern graduate who wrote this play, and Grace Dolezal-Ng, a fellow graduate, who directed it for Shattered Globe Theatre hardly are all-in with the Greek system. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2023 See More

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Kids Definition

hardly

adverb
hard·​ly ˈhärd-lē How to pronounce hardly (audio)
1
: in a severe or harsh manner
deal hardly with them
2
: with difficulty
a hardly won victory
3
: only just : barely, scarcely
we hardly knew them
4
: certainly not
that news is hardly surprising

hardly

adverb

1
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering the new judge vowed to deal hardly with repeat offenders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
  • severely
  • harshly
  • hard
  • oppressively
  • brutally
  • roughly
  • ill
  • sternly
  • strongly
  • stiffly
  • uncharitably
  • firmly
  • aggressively
  • grimly
  • unfeelingly
  • ruthlessly
  • heartlessly
  • unsparingly
  • pitilessly
  • obdurately
  • callously
  • decidedly
  • mercilessly
  • abusively
  • toughly
  • viciously
  • insensitively
  • savagely
  • tyrannically
  • resolutely
  • hard-heartedly
  • brutishly
  • inhumanly
  • inhumanely
  • unmercifully
  • determinedly
  • insensately
  • cold-bloodedly
  • assertively
  • gruffly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • lightly
  • mildly
  • gently
  • kindly
  • leniently
  • softly
  • graciously
  • cordially
  • tenderly
  • lovingly
  • benevolently
  • clemently
  • charitably
  • mercifully
  • considerately
  • understandingly
  • sympathetically
  • benignantly
  • tolerantly
  • humanely
  • compassionately
  • softheartedly
See More
2
as in no
certainly not I would hardly think someone with her attitude could make a good manager

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • no
  • never
  • none
  • scarcely
  • nothing
  • nothing doing
  • ill
  • nowhere
  • noway
  • no way
  • on no account
  • nowise
  • by no means
  • near

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • certainly
  • surely
  • definitely
  • absolutely
  • completely
  • most
  • quite
  • very
  • positively
  • highly
  • extremely
  • really
  • terribly
  • clearly
  • exceedingly
  • exceeding
  • awfully
  • truly
  • greatly
  • unquestionably
  • immensely
  • enormously
  • awful
  • plainly
  • mighty
  • perfectly
  • assuredly
  • rather
  • utterly
  • mostly
  • unequivocally
  • somewhat
  • mightily
  • hugely
  • doubtless
  • slightly
  • hands down
  • more or less
See More
3
as in barely
by a very small margin we were hardly able to make it back to camp before darkness set in

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • barely
  • slightly
  • just
  • scarcely
  • narrowly
  • almost
  • somewhat
  • marginally
  • nearly
  • minimally
  • minutely
  • by the skin of one's teeth
  • closely
  • partly
  • roughly
  • approximately
  • scantly
  • plus or minus
  • more or less

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • quite
  • well
  • significantly
  • substantially
  • easily
  • considerably
  • definitely
  • plainly
  • vastly
  • fully
  • completely
  • positively
  • unquestionably
  • greatly
  • abundantly
  • generously
  • copiously
See More
4
as in sadly
with feelings of bitterness or grief his broker did not think that he would take his financial losses so hardly

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • sadly
  • bitterly
  • hard
  • sorrowfully
  • painfully
  • unhappily
  • regretfully
  • mournfully
  • woefully
  • sharply
  • harshly
  • ruefully
  • sorely
  • wailfully
  • dolorously
  • severely
  • grievously
  • resentfully
  • lugubriously
  • wretchedly
  • agonizingly
  • plaintively
  • dolefully
  • inconsolably
  • cheerlessly
  • distressfully
  • drearily
  • miserably
  • distressingly
  • abjectly
  • dispiritedly
  • acutely
  • dismally
  • keenly
  • joylessly
  • despairingly
  • pessimistically
  • dejectedly
  • ill
  • downheartedly
  • forlornly
  • despondently
  • sullenly
  • glumly
  • dourly
  • poignantly
  • piercingly
  • morosely
  • disconsolately
  • somberly
  • crestfallenly
  • darkly
  • cruelly
  • low-spiritedly
  • rancorously
  • gloomily
  • hurtfully
  • blackly
  • mirthlessly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • happily
  • gladly
  • blissfully
  • easily
  • joyfully
  • joyously
  • cheerfully
  • gleefully
  • casually
  • delightedly
  • lightly
  • merrily
  • lightheartedly
  • cheerily
  • blithely
  • sunnily
  • well
  • mirthfully
  • rejoicingly
  • gaily
  • indifferently
  • calmly
  • stoically
  • gayly
  • dispassionately
  • nonchalantly
  • unconcernedly
  • favorably
  • impassively
  • good-naturedly
  • blithesomely
See More
5
as in hard
with great effort or determination the state championship was a hardly fought contest between two evenly matched teams

Synonyms & Similar Words

  • hard
  • intensely
  • intensively
  • intently
  • resolutely
  • diligently
  • continuously
  • purposefully
  • slavishly
  • determinedly
  • arduously
  • doggedly
  • seriously
  • actively
  • laboriously
  • assiduously
  • strenuously
  • industriously
  • vigorously
  • amain
  • steadily
  • thoroughly
  • mightily
  • vehemently
  • sedulously
  • busily
  • energetically
  • dynamically
  • unremittingly
  • briskly
  • spiritedly
  • exhaustively
  • feverishly
  • unrelentingly
  • animatedly
  • steadfastly
  • willfully
  • conscientiously
  • ardently
  • zealously
  • painstakingly
  • meticulously
  • attentively
  • unabatedly
  • ploddingly
  • stubbornly
  • unflaggingly
  • earnestly
  • indefatigably
  • tirelessly
  • wearilessly
  • obstinately
  • untiringly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

  • casually
  • lazily
  • wearily
  • halfheartedly
  • sluggishly
  • listlessly
  • languidly
  • indolently
  • desultorily
  • lackadaisically
  • tiredly
  • shiftlessly
  • spiritlessly
See More
随便看

 

英语词典包含469781条英英释义在线翻译词条,基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法,是英语学习的有利工具。

 

Copyright © 2004-2022 Newdu.com All Rights Reserved
更新时间:2024/11/13 22:56:44