hardly

hardly — adverb

1. if you hardly do something, you do it only a very small amount or almost not at

1.adverbintransitiveA2
Definition

if you hardly do something, you do it only a very small amount or almost not at all. For example, if you can hardly hear someone, you hear them but only just — the sound is very weak.

Example

Eliska was so exhausted after the race that she could hardly speak.

can/could hardly for difficulty

The old photograph had faded so much that Rania could hardly recognize anyone in it.

Common collocations
  • hardly any
  • hardly ever
  • hardly at all
  • can/could hardly
  • hardly…when
Synonyms
  • barely

    more neutral; interchangeable in most 'almost not' contexts ('I barely know him')

  • scarcely

    slightly more formal than 'hardly' or 'barely'; common in written English

  • almost not

    not a single word but the closest paraphrase; useful for learners who find 'hardly' unfamiliar

Antonyms
  • easily

    opposite in 'can/could hardly' contexts ('I could easily hear them' vs 'I could hardly hear them')

  • fully

    opposite when talking about degree ('I fully understand' vs 'I hardly understand')

Grammar Patterns

hardly + main verb

can/could + hardly + main verb

hardly + any/ever/at all

hardly + had + subject + past participle…when…

Usage Note

Position: 'hardly' goes before the main verb ('I hardly know him') but after 'be' or modal verbs ('He can hardly walk', 'She is hardly ready'). When 'hardly' opens a clause, subject and verb must invert ('Hardly had we left when…'). Common collocations include 'any', 'ever', and 'at all'. Do not add another negative word ('don't hardly' is incorrect — see common mistakes).

Common Mistakes

He works hardly for his exams.
He works hard for his exams.
'hardly' means 'almost not', not the adverb form of 'hard' (which is 'hard').
I don't hardly know anyone at the party.
I hardly know anyone at the party.
'hardly' itself carries a negative meaning; adding 'don't' creates an incorrect double negative.
Hardly I finished eating when the phone rang.
Hardly had I finished eating when the phone rang.
when 'hardly' begins a sentence, the subject and verb must follow the inversion pattern (auxiliary verb + subject + main verb).

2. used to express strong disagreement or to say that something is clearly not true

2.adverbintransitiveB1
Definition

used to express strong disagreement or to say that something is clearly not true, not appropriate, or very unlikely. For example, if your friend suggests eating at a restaurant you hated, you might say 'I can hardly agree' — meaning you strongly disagree.

Example

This is hardly the best time to discuss budget cuts, right before the holiday.

hardly + noun phrase expressing rejection

It is hardly surprising that Yumi won the prize — she worked incredibly hard.

hardly surprising = not surprising at all

Common collocations
  • hardly surprising
  • hardly the time
  • hardly the place
  • hardly fair
  • hardly necessary
Synonyms
  • certainly not

    more direct and emphatic; can sound blunt in polite conversation

  • by no means

    stronger and more formal; often used in formal writing ('This is by no means certain')

  • not at all

    more explicit negation; less subtle than 'hardly' for polite disagreement

Antonyms
  • clearly

    opposite in truth-value contexts ('This is clearly the case' vs 'This is hardly the case')

  • definitely

    opposite in agreement contexts ('I definitely agree' vs 'I can hardly agree')

Grammar Patterns

hardly + be + noun phrase

hardly + be + adjective

can/could + hardly + verb (polite disagreement)

Usage Note

Common in the pattern 'hardly + be + noun/adjective' to assert that something is not the case ('This is hardly the place', 'That is hardly fair'). Often paired with 'surprising', 'necessary', 'the time', 'the person', or 'the place'. Distinguished from sense 1 (ALMOST NOT) in that sense 2 rejects a proposition entirely ('That is hardly true' = completely false), while sense 1 describes a near-zero degree ('I hardly know him' = I know him a little).

Common Mistakes

This is hardly not true.
This is hardly true.
'hardly' already carries a negative meaning; do not add 'not'.
She hardly is the right person for the job.
She is hardly the right person for the job.
'hardly' goes after 'be', not before it.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All three words mean 'almost not' and are often interchangeable, but they differ slightly in register and usage. 'Hardly' is the most common in everyday speech and works naturally with 'any', 'ever', and 'at all' ('I hardly ever go out'). 'Barely' focuses on achieving something by the smallest possible margin ('She barely passed the test' suggests she passed — but just barely). 'Scarcely' is more formal and slightly old-fashioned, common in written narrative ('I had scarcely arrived when…'). In the 'hardly…when' pattern, only 'hardly' and 'scarcely' are used ('Hardly had we sat down when…'; 'Scarcely had we sat down when…'); 'barely' is less natural in that inversion structure.

hardly ↗barely ↗scarcely

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • hardly ever
  • hardly any
  • hardly at all

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

'Hardly' comes from Old English 'heardlice', which meant 'in a hard manner, harshly, or with difficulty'. Over time, the meaning shifted from 'with difficulty' to 'only just' (something achieved with great effort) to 'almost not'. The second sense ('certainly not') developed from the idea that if something is true only 'with difficulty', it may not be true at all — a kind of logical extension. The older meanings of 'harshly' or 'vigorously' are now archaic.