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

Its characters could scarcely be more important to the Marvel comics universe — they’re called Marvel’s First Family for a reason — but two separate attempts at 20th Century Fox in the 2000s and 2010s to make them into marquee stars never caught fire. —Adam B. Vary, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024

Unlike her wryly astute essays, the playwright scarcely reckons with the thorny nuances of mourning, and instead settles for a rather pat depiction of grief. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

The United States was never as traditional, unified, or pure as Bryan claimed, but that scarcely mattered to him or his followers. —John Kaag, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2024

At Citi Field on Wednesday, the Mets Entry Express Line was used scarcely, perhaps five people every five minutes or so. —Caroline Haskins, WIRED, 21 Aug. 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