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

Every technological revolution has opened doors to new possibilities that its earliest adopters could scarcely imagine. —Jeff Schmidt, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

In other cities, such as Green Bay, Eau Claire, Appleton, Wausau and Oshkosh, the vote scarcely shifted at all from 2020. —Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024

By the end, there was scarcely a key issue for Baltimore and/or Maryland or a vital institution that did not have Walter’s formidable wisdom and integrity behind it. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 Nov. 2024

In the state’s five biggest counties, Trump’s point margin improved by 1 point in very blue Milwaukee and Dane, worsened by 1 point in very red Waukesha, and scarcely changed at all in purple Brown and Outagamie, improving by three-tenths of a point. —Craig Gilbert, Journal Sentinel, 12 Nov. 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