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.

Examples of hardly in a Sentence

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.”
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These facts hardly make today's Russian army a successor to history's military juggernauts. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025 The Graham family was hardly poor, but in the new media environment—and under the relentless demands of reporting quarterly earnings—they were forced, again and again, to make trims, at a time when investment was needed. Ruth Marcus, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025 The Smashing Pumpkins frontman and The Magnificent Others podcast host, 57, tells PEOPLE that his appearance on Mandel’s podcast, which went viral for Burr’s awkwardly uncomfortable reception, was hardly a joke. Rachel Desantis, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025 Five years ago, Disney could have hardly imaged that its two leading ladies would end up both drawing fire for their political views while on the opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hardly

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of hardly was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Hardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hardly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on hardly

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