1
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
the new judge vowed to deal hardly with repeat offenders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in no
certainly not
I would hardly think someone with her attitude could make a good manager
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in barely
by a very small margin
we were hardly able to make it back to camp before darkness set in
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in sadly
with feelings of bitterness or grief
his broker did not think that he would take his financial losses so hardly
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in hard
with great effort or determination
the state championship was a hardly fought contest between two evenly matched teams
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hardly
And Jason Adam’s fastball, hardly a slowpoke, paces at 94.5 mph.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The dark cloud of COVID-19, one of the deadliest infectious disease outbreaks in history, can hardly be thought of as having a silver lining.
—Simon Williams, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Handling response to driver input was nonexistent, but was hardly the point.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2025
The wreckage of grief and loss all the characters have been mired in is hardly swept away.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Advertisement Advertisement The dark cloud of COVID-19, one of the deadliest infectious disease outbreaks in history, can hardly be thought of as having a silver lining.
—Simon Williams, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Handling response to driver input was nonexistent, but was hardly the point.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2025
The wreckage of grief and loss all the characters have been mired in is hardly swept away.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardly
Adverb
-
Such systems engage in conversation, show signs of empathy and reinforce the users’ beliefs, no matter how outlandish.—
Conor Feehly,
Scientific American,
24 Aug. 2025
-
But no matter how the rest of this season shakes up, the two foes are set to meet for another historic clash next year.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
And while that should be central to conversations about tourism, it has barely been mentioned.—
Wilson Santiago Burgos,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
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Breakthrough technologies—such as real-time watershed monitoring or nutrient and plastic pollution control, to name a few—barely register with investors.—
Eyal Harel,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
That means Illinois and other states need to step up and act while the federal government is sadly moving backwards.—
Howard Learner,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
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In the absence of moonlight, a single observer might see 45 to 90 meteors per hour on the peak night, a number that sadly cannot be hoped to be approached in 2025.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Just his razor-sharp intellect and the motivation to work hard.—
Rich Tabaka,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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Snitker kept him out of the lineup for a couple of games but said Harris was working hard with Hyers to get things turned around at the plate.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Kohn reminded residents that FEMA crews will wear official logos and badges and will never ask for money.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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As far as Roberts knows, the male student never faced consequences at school or from the local police department.—
Jolene Almendarez,
The Courier-Journal,
22 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
President Donald Trump had just spent several hours in meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven other leaders from Europe who had come along in a frantic effort to shore up U.S. support for the Ukrainian position.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
19 Aug. 2025
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Fox, who just completed graduate school, decided to dedicate part of a month-long break to searching for a diamond.—
Arkansas State Parks,
Arkansas Online,
19 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Standing in the dock, wearing jeans and trainers, he could be seen listening intently as the case against him was set out and filling several pages of an A4 book with notes.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
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At the July 22 Village Board meeting, village trustees listened intently to a presentation about e-bikes, their historical use in the village, gaining popularity, at least one resident’s concerns about them and more.—
Alan Kozeluh,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardly. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
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