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

The stakes could scarcely be higher. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026

As with Disneyland, the claims for the undertaking seemed scarcely believable. —Mark Lane, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

Magyar can scarcely afford, in this time of economic hardship, to forgo Russian energy. —Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026

Olivia Miles’ lone season with TCU women’s basketball could’ve scarcely gone better, with the Notre Dame transfer leading the team to the Elite Eight and winning Big 12 Player of the Year. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026

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