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
But skepticism is hardly just coming from mainstream media commentators.
—
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 17 June 2026
Gaudette used a series of AI tools — and not a single actor, producer or crew member — to tell his tender story of a man who, for all his travails, hardly wallows in his station.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
By day 10, all of the remaining sutures were gone, hardly leaving a trace… like disappearing ink.
—Michele Promaulayko, Allure, 17 June 2026
In any event, Quizlet is hardly the only place to find textbook answers.
—Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 17 June 2026
Gaudette used a series of AI tools — and not a single actor, producer or crew member — to tell his tender story of a man who, for all his travails, hardly wallows in his station.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026
By day 10, all of the remaining sutures were gone, hardly leaving a trace… like disappearing ink.
—Michele Promaulayko, Allure, 17 June 2026
In any event, Quizlet is hardly the only place to find textbook answers.
—Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardly
Adverb
-
This reliance on ad budgets severely restricts the company in the mind of the market.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
21 June 2026
-
Without that asset, the Heat’s package is severely degraded.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
And that rule no longer exists.—
Barry Svrluga,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
This Program is no longer in existence.—
Sooji Nam,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
And three of them — Laurie Canter, Peter Uihlein and Caleb Surratt — just barely made it after finishing right on the cutline at 4 over.—
Matt Schubert,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
-
The uncomfortable truth here is that whether anyone is keeping that eye depends on which level of government prevails, and the contest has barely begun.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
But there are glimmers of hope, particularly after the first two (sadly) table-setting episodes, that there is some honest-to-goodness storytelling momentum here.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
-
This is sadly part of a larger trend by the mayor in putting his movement ahead of the best interests of his constituents.—
Bradley Tusk,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
In heat waves, Aid stations could be hard-pressed to manage everyone affected.—
Arthur L. Kellermann,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Add liquid ingredients and ice, seal and shake hard.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
20 June 2026
Adverb
-
The peak came as the Great Recession, touched off by a housing and financial crisis, rippled harshly through the global economy.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
-
Political dissent can be harshly policed outside the stadium, but domestic clubs’ most ardent fan groups, often called ultras, are brazenly outspoken in their cheering.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Adverb
-
Yet, the share of retirees who work has never ranged higher than 34%.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
She's lived through many hurricanes and other storms, but never witnessed thunder and lightning like this.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Adverb
-
Across the full sample, those with insecure attachments reported wanting slightly larger families than those with secure ones, and insecure attachment was likewise modestly associated with having more children.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
20 June 2026
-
While the numbers of comedies on the ballot stayed almost level with last year (up very slightly to 71 from 69), dramas dropped from 126 in 2025 to 110 this year, and limited/anthology series are down to 31, from 44 last year.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardly. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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