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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
This particular mashup hardly counts as culturally ubiquitous in 2025.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
That’s hardly a given in the Bay State.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Spending that kind of money now, on hardly a surefire thing in California, takes resources away from other 2026 midterm campaigns around the country.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
In fact, his namesake had hardly any public infrastructure, and Levittown’s new political leaders needed to come up with money for maintenance, trash, and schools.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
That’s hardly a given in the Bay State.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Spending that kind of money now, on hardly a surefire thing in California, takes resources away from other 2026 midterm campaigns around the country.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
In fact, his namesake had hardly any public infrastructure, and Levittown’s new political leaders needed to come up with money for maintenance, trash, and schools.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardly
Adverb
-
In a separate case, Jake entered a guilty plea to a charge of willful neglect of a child just two years ago after severely abusing his 10-week-old daughter.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
-
To the south, Mexico’s GDP contracted in the third quarter, sparking fears of a recession, as the industrial sector, ranging from mining to construction to manufacturing, has been severely impacted by trade tensions.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Republicans grappling with Tuesday’s Democratic romp are warning the White House that no matter how many foreign policy goals the president achieves, voters will care about the economy more.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
However, the on-screen star rendered her bob era no more shortly after the film wrapped.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Slot’s team barely looked back to see City and Arsenal stumbling.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The mashup lasted barely three minutes, but its impact has echoed for decades.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Ambiguity fuels risk, and risk, sadly, often fuels the potential for escalation.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Rae sadly died in 2018 after being diagnosed with bone cancer.—
Michele Corriston,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
That can take nefarious forms, such as hypothetically hard-coding cheaper ticket prices into the site that are hidden to human users but visible to AI bots, making the platform seem like a more affordable option to the computer model.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The show’s second season, based on Mona Kasten’s book Save You, follows the first installment, which found James Beaufort (Damien Hardung) and Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten) go from enemies to lovers as the both worked hard to get into Oxford.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
10 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
In a follow-up study, highly attractive female fitness influencers faced stronger backlash than equally attractive men, perhaps reflecting a broader social tendency to judge women’s looks more harshly.—
Abby Frank,
The Conversation,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The Next Gen Stats model graded the decision even more harshly, a 7% dip in win probability.—
Sam McDowell
November 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The boy jerks his head as if to wake himself, turns around abruptly and looks the other way, even though there’s nothing special to see besides darkness and emptiness, which is where a living eye should never look.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
There are other Washburn regulars here too, like the excellent actors Bruce McKenzie and Jeff Biehl, but despite all their long acquaintance, something about the project never quite comes into focus.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The slightly thinner, trailing branches include a mix of long and short needles.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardly. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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