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

And some of them have scarcely been heard about outside Israel. —Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 2 May 2024

Both teams scarcely resemble their previous rosters with the Mavs only returning three players, Doncic, Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber playing major minutes on both teams and replacing then-head coach Rick Carlisle with Jason Kidd. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 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