scarcely

adverb

scarce·​ly ˈskers-lē 

1

a

: by a narrow margin : only just

had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open

—Agnes S. Turnbull

b

: almost not

could scarcely see for the fog

2

a

: certainly not

could scarcely interfere

b

: probably not

there could scarcely have been found a leader better equipped

—V. L. Parrington

Synonyms

• barely
• hardly
• just
• marginally
• narrowly
• slightly

Examples of scarcely in a Sentence

He could scarcely control his joy.

Scarcely a day goes by when they don't see or talk to each other.

He had scarcely enough money.

This is scarcely a time to laugh.

I could scarcely tell them they were wrong.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Trump campaign, for its part, has scarcely made public mention of the Republicans who supported Nikki Haley and might, despite her endorsement, potentially defect to Harris. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

The impedance scarcely varies from a nominal 6Ω over most of the frequency range. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

There’s scarcely time to think about how much easier things might be after a good night’s sleep, because — surprise! —Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024

As Papadopoulou plays Callas at 17 and Jolie in adulthood, the duo scarcely shot together, apart from one key scene unveiled toward the end of Larraín’s biopic. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing scarcely

• hardly/scarcely than

Kids Definition

scarcely

adverb

scarce·​ly

ˈske(ə)rs-lē,

ˈska(ə)rs-

1

: by a narrow margin : only just

had scarcely made the train in time

2

a

: certainly not

could scarcely tell them they were wrong

b

: probably not

could scarcely have chosen a better leader