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

But the first six episodes of the season’s eight—the portion allotted for review—scarcely touch on Eastern religion, framing Piper’s interest therein predominantly as a threat to her mother, Victoria (Parker Posey), and her way of life. —Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2025

City had the ball at kick-off and then kept it, and while that is hardly an unfamiliar story, Newcastle scarcely figured in yesterday’s plot. —George Caulkin, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025

Many of them far more distinctive than the Palestinians, who are scarcely different from Sunni Lebanese or Syrians (indeed, until the creation of Israel there was no reference to a Palestinian people, any more than there was a Jordanian people). —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025

Kathy Bates‘ win for Best Actress in a Drama Series at Friday night’s Critics Choice Awards was also a rare major win for broadcast TV, which is scarcely represented on the awards circuit these days, especially in drama categories. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025

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