hardly

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English

Etymology

From Middle English hardely, hardliche, from Old English heardlīċe (“boldly; hardily; without ease; in a way that causes pain; not easily; only by degrees”), equivalent to hard +‎ -ly. Compare Dutch hardelijk, German härtlich.

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 303: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈhɑːdli/
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    Audio (US):(file)

Adverb

hardly (comparative hardlier or more hardly, superlative hardliest or most hardly)

  1. (manner, obsolete) Firmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion.
    • Template:RQ:Flr Mntgn Essays, Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.148:
      Let him hardly be possest with an honest curiositie to search out the nature and causes of all things […].
  2. (manner, archaic) Harshly, severely; in a hard manner.
    I can't really deal hardly with people.
  3. (now rare) With difficulty.
    • Template:RQ:Flr Mntgn Essays, Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.234:
      And what gentle flame soever doth warme the heart of young virgins, yet are they hardly drawne to leave and forgoe their mothers, to betake them to their husbands […].
    • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society 2010, page 40:
      While in Chelsea, Anne Smiley pined, taking very hardly to her unaccustomed role of wife abandoned.
  4. (degree) Barely, only just, almost not.
    • 2011 November 3, David Ornstein, “Macc Tel-Aviv 1-2 Stoke”, in BBC Sport:
      With this the second of three games in seven days for Stoke, it was hardly surprising to see nine changes from the side that started against Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday.
    • 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:
      Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.
    they hardly ever watch television;  I hardly think they'll come in this bad weather;  it's hardly possible he could lose the election.

Usage notes

  • In the modern sense "barely", it is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never.
    • Compare example sentence with I almost never watch television
    • Because of the anomalous sense of this word, expressions such as "hardly working" have an opposite meaning to what the etymology ("hard" + "-ly") would suggest. "Working hard" suggests that considerable work is being done, whereas "hardly working" suggests that very little work is being done.

Synonyms

Translations

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Translations to be checked

Interjection

hardly

  1. Not really.
    I think the Beatles are a really overrated band. ― Hardly!
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