1
as in barely
by a very small margin
was scarcely able to walk after the near-fatal accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in no
certainly not
I scarcely think that one person being sick is an "epidemic"
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scarcely
Consider two key sequences, which scarcely seem to belong in the same movie, and which are all the more telling for their juxtaposition.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
These people, the ones who insist on trespassing in what is actually our backyard, who started this fight have to pass several scarcely populated public beach areas to get to our property.
—Brie Stimson , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
The arrangement, Shane briskly insists, is strictly temporary: There’s little love lost between two siblings who, having grown up years apart under separate roofs, scarcely know each other at all.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 July 2025
That same month, Testament had hit movie theaters with scarcely any special effects and no dramatic shots of missile launches or mass incinerations, as in The Day After.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scarcely
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
These people, the ones who insist on trespassing in what is actually our backyard, who started this fight have to pass several scarcely populated public beach areas to get to our property.
—Brie Stimson , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025
The arrangement, Shane briskly insists, is strictly temporary: There’s little love lost between two siblings who, having grown up years apart under separate roofs, scarcely know each other at all.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 12 July 2025
That same month, Testament had hit movie theaters with scarcely any special effects and no dramatic shots of missile launches or mass incinerations, as in The Day After.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scarcely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarcely
Adverb
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They’re caught up in their own bubble barely registering your existence.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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What Are Fire Crackers? Fire Crackers, sometimes called Alabama Fire Crackers, are so easy that the recipe barely qualifies as baking.—
Sheri Castle,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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There’s something so satisfying about luggage that looks new no matter how many places around the world it’s been with me.—
Amber Love Bond,
Southern Living,
12 Aug. 2025
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The critical temper was no friendlier in the years that followed.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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While many of his friends were drawn to that life, Miguel never was.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
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The federal government has never before used the census to directly ask for the citizenship status of every person living in every household in the United States.—
Hansi Lo Wang,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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The latest multilateral environmental treaty being negotiated by the United Nations has just encountered a major setback in negotiations.—
Saleem H. Ali,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
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Anti-property tax activists have a simple solution to the loss of revenue: just spend less.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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And Jason Adam’s fastball, hardly a slowpoke, paces at 94.5 mph.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
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The wreckage of grief and loss all the characters have been mired in is hardly swept away.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scarcely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarcely. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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