Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

scarcely

adverb

Synonyms and Antonyms of scarcely

1 by a very small margin
  • He could scarcely contain his joy.
Synonyms of scarcely

barely, hardly, just, marginally, narrowly, slightly
Words Related to scarcely

minimally, minutely, scantly

almost, approximately, closely, more or less, nearly, partly, plus or minus, roughly, somewhat
Phrases Synonymous with scarcely

by the skin of one's teeth
Near Antonyms of scarcely

definitely, easily, plainly, positively, quite, unquestionably

abundantly, completely, copiously, fully, generously, greatly
Antonyms of scarcely

considerably, significantly, substantially, vastly, well
2 certainly not
  • I scarcely think that one person being sick is an "epidemic."
Synonyms of scarcely

hardly, ill, no, none, noway (usually no way)
Words Related to scarcely

near, never, nothing, nowhere, nowise
Phrases Synonymous with scarcely

by no means, nothing doing, on no account
Near Antonyms of scarcely

awful, awfully, enormously, exceedingly (also exceeding), extremely, greatly, highly, hugely, immensely, mightily, mighty, most, quite, terribly, very

assuredly, clearly, hands down, perfectly, plainly, really, truly, unequivocally, unquestionably, utterly

doubtless, more or less, mostly, rather, slightly, somewhat
Antonyms of scarcely

absolutely, certainly, completely, definitely, positively, surely

Learn More about scarcely

  1. Dictionary: Definition of scarcely Spanish Central: Translation of scarcely Nglish: Translation of scarcely for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of scarcely for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up scarcely? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

bloviate

play

to speak or write verbosely and windily

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. lowlife 'a person of low moral character'

  2. kakistocracy 'government by the worst people'

  3. slimeball 'a morally repulsive or odious person'

  4. salacious 'arousing or appealing to sexual desire'

  5. oligarch 'government in which a small group exercises control'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5ad8fc71357ed
Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

No, it's not a coiffure trend

alt-5ad8d3361fb97
Where 'Cliff-hangers' Come From

You're on the edge of your seat

alt-5ad77fad37d22
What the #@*% Is a ‘Grawlix'?

We can thank Beetle Bailey.

alt-5ad76a1542e73
'Altho' vs. 'Although'

Altho doesn't get much love.

Ask the Editors

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

image1926873504
Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz
cats-on-impossible-timber
More Confusing Words—Quiz

How many of these commonly confused words do you know?

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Dictionary Devil
Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

Play the game