scarcely

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adverb scarce·ly \ ˈskers-lē \

Definition of scarcely

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

See scarcely defined for English-language learners

See scarcely defined for kids

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 of scarcely from the Web

This topic has been scarcely written about and some scholars would argue that the information that is available isn't the whole truth.

— araceli cruz, Teen Vogue, "Mexican Repatriation During the Great Depression, Explained," 30 Aug. 2017
Nondescript strip malls, clusters of architecturally blah homes, and scarcely populated roads — all dusted with a graying heap of snow.

— olivia nuzzi, The Cut, "Just Try and Silence Symone Sanders," 23 Aug. 2017
Halep's 6-2, 6-1 victory was scarcely in doubt and was recorded in just 55 minutes.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Simona Halep to play Sunday for W&S Open title, WTA No. 1 ranking," 19 Aug. 2017
Major media outlets could scarcely hide their disdain.

— matthew allen, The Root, "Michael Jackson’s Bad: 30 Years Ago the King of Pop Hit His Prime ... so Why Is That Album Underrated?," 18 Aug. 2017
There is scarcely a community that hasn't been touched by the nation's epidemic of heroin addiction.

— rich heileman, cleveland.com, "Library program to focus on heroin addiction: Around The Town," 11 Aug. 2017
Henderson Island, a tiny, unpopulated coral atoll in the South Pacific, could scarcely be more remote.

— jesse greenspan, Scientific American, "Uninhabited Island Reveals Scope of the World's Plastic Problem," 24 July 2017
A process to update Idaho’s wolf management plan has rekindled the sort of hot emotions scarcely seen since the days the animals were still protected under the Endangered Species Act.

— eric barker, idahostatesman, "Idaho draft wolf plan has both fans and foes of the animals howling," 16 July 2017
Days would go by between when tankers delivered water; the camp had no electricity and there was scarcely any work.

— philip issa, The Seattle Times, "Weary Syrians trickle back home to government-held areas," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scarcely.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of scarcely

14th century

scarcely Synonyms

Synonyms

barely, hardly, marginally, narrowly, just, slightly

Antonyms

considerably, significantly, substantially, vastly, well

Related Words

minimally, minutely, scantly; almost, approximately, closely, more or less, nearly, partly, plus or minus, roughly, somewhat

Near Antonyms

definitely, easily, plainly, positively, quite, unquestionably; abundantly, completely, copiously, fully, generously, greatly

SCARCELY Defined for English Language Learners

scarcely

play

adverb

Definition of scarcely for English Language Learners

: almost not at all
: by only a small amount of time, space, etc.
: certainly not

SCARCELY Defined for Kids

scarcely

adverb scarce·ly \ ˈskers-lē \

Definition of scarcely for Students

1 :only just :barely

They had scarcely enough to eat.

2 :certainly not I could scarcely tell him he was wrong.

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First Known Use of scarcely

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SCARCELY Defined for English Language Learners

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