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used to say that something happened immediately after something else happened: I had scarcely sat down/Scarcely had I sat down to eat when the phone rang. Synonyms. barely. hardly. Fewer examples. I scarcely registered the fact that he was there. I scarcely heard him laugh all night. The city centre has scarcely changed in over a century.
1. You use scarcely to emphasize that something is only just true or only just the case. [emphasis] [...] 2. You can use scarcely to say that something is not true or is not the case, in a humorous or critical way. [...]
Hardly and scarcely can mean ‘almost not at all’ or ‘only just’. Hardly is much more common than scarcely, and scarcely is more formal: Jen was so tired. She could scarcely keep her eyes open. I hardly know them. I’ve only met them once.
You can use scarcely to say that something is not true or is not the case, in a humorous or critical way. It can scarcely be coincidence. Yesterday, however, his views seemed scarcely relevant. It was scarcely in their interest to let too many people know.
Scarcely is an adverb that means hardly at all, only just, barely, or not quite; often suggesting that something happened immediately after something else in a surprising way. It can also mean in a manner indicating a lack of abundance or scarcity.
What does the adverb scarcely mean? There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the adverb scarcely , three of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
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I hardly can believe it. are negative words and should not be used with not or other negatives: I can’t hardly believe it. You can also use hardly, scarcely to say that one thing happens immediately after another: We had hardly/scarcely/barely sat down at the table, when the phone rang.
