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 of scarcely

• barely
• slightly
• just

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

In places such as the United Nations, simultaneous interpreters have long worked behind soundproof glass, inconspicuous yet indispensable, enabling multilingual deliberation for people who may scarcely register their presence. —Ross Benjamin, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025

Revolutionary reënactment as political theatre is scarcely new. —Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

Goldman Sachs nine years ago splashily moved investment bankers to Dallas, Atlanta, and other heartland cities — and has scarcely mentioned the initiative since. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025

Circumstances favoured them, but Bowen’s early misfortune and a West Ham penalty award which was overturned by VAR scarcely influenced them. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th 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