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 is hardly the first time carnival celebrations have divided parts of German society and triggered debates about culture, politics, and history.
—
Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
Authorities have promised to investigate but hardly any of the assailants have been held responsible.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Helus and AtaiBeckley are hardly the only drugmakers paying outside marketing companies for promotion.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026
But Edelman hardly feels for today's players given their contracts.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026
Authorities have promised to investigate but hardly any of the assailants have been held responsible.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Helus and AtaiBeckley are hardly the only drugmakers paying outside marketing companies for promotion.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026
But Edelman hardly feels for today's players given their contracts.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hardly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hardly
Adverb
-
Israel's Ben Gurion airport has been operating on a severely limited basis throughout the war.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The study examined the high cost across different family structures, highlighting that rising living expenses have severely squeezed the traditional middle-class budget.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
That information is due back no later than May.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
They were outscored 13-1 by the New York Yankees in a three-game sweep, becoming the 11th team to score no more than one run over the initial three games of a season.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Unaccustomed to living with someone like Sprinkles, Louise was nearly moved to tears by this delivery of weeds, but Lynn had barely noticed.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The older son, Dustin, barely speaks, and baby James is wearing a grocery bag for a diaper.—
Francine Prose,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
But, sadly, sometimes people do go leak classified information in those big settings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Ride sadly passed away July 23, 2012, at the age of 61, following a battle with a terminal illness.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Third baseman Matt Chapman charged hard and fielded the ball, but the ball popped out of his glove on the exchange.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
No baseball community dies harder, without reward, than the Rockies faithful, spring after spring.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Patrick Soon-Shiong, a controversial figure in the biotech industry, was harshly criticized by the Food and Drug Administration for making several false and misleading claims about a cancer treatment in television ads and a podcast.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Markets interpreted the message quickly and harshly.—
Benzinga,
Freep.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The Rockies have been humiliated before in their first home game, but never as badly as this.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Tyler entered the season with expectations as a defensive-minded facilitator but never fully found her rhythm.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The image is tightly cropped, the carriage wheels slightly cut off.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Improvements included plenty of new alien ships to battle, as well as an invincibility ability for your ship to make the levels slightly less challenging.—
Daryl Baxter,
Space.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hardly. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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