adv · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈskɛəsli/
General-American:/ˈskɛɹsli/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S K EH1 R S L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adv
Meaning 1
Probably not.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: modal
Examples
One could scarcely find any trout in the stream without the stocking program.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adv
Meaning 2
Certainly not, hardly at all.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: modal
Examples
One could scarcely expect the man to know how to fly a helicopter.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adv
Meaning 3
Hardly: only just; by a small margin.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: degree
Examples
Scarcely had she arrived when she was put to work.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adverb
Meaning 4
only a very short time before- W.B.Yeats
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
they could barely hear the speaker
we hardly knew them
just missed being hit
had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open
would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: barely, hardly, just, scarce
Antonyms: none provided
5
adverb
Meaning 5
almost not
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he hardly ever goes fishing
he was hardly more than sixteen years old
they scarcely ever used the emergency generator
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hardly
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English scarcely, scarsly, scarsely, scarsliche, scarseliche, equivalent to scarce + -ly.
Across languages
Translations
47 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
едва ли
(edva li)
— probably not
Czech:
sotva
— probably not
Finnish:
tuskin
— probably not
Hungarian:
aligha
— probably not
Hungarian:
nemigen
— probably not
Hungarian:
bajosan
— probably not
Irish:
ní móide
— probably not
Irish:
ar éigean
— probably not
Portuguese:
dificilmente
— probably not
Russian:
едва́
(jedvá)
— probably not
Russian:
едва́ ли
(jedvá li)
— probably not
Russian:
вря́д ли
(vrjád li)
— probably not
Russian:
е́ле
(jéle)
— probably not
Russian:
е́ле-е́ле
(jéle-jéle)
— probably not
Russian:
с трудо́м
(s trudóm)
— probably not
Scottish Gaelic:
air èiginn
— probably not
Bulgarian:
съвсем не
(sǎvsem ne)
— certainly not
Czech:
sotva
— certainly not
Finnish:
tuskin
— certainly not
Irish:
ní móide
— certainly not
Irish:
ar éigean
— certainly not
Latin:
haud
— certainly not
Scottish Gaelic:
air èiginn
— certainly not
Bulgarian:
едва
(edva)
— almost not, by a small margin
Czech:
sotva
— almost not, by a small margin
Dutch:
amper
— almost not, by a small margin
Dutch:
nauwelijks
— almost not, by a small margin
Esperanto:
apenaŭ
— almost not, by a small margin
Finnish:
tuskin
— almost not, by a small margin
Finnish:
hädin tuskin
— almost not, by a small margin
French:
à peine
— almost not, by a small margin
French:
guère
— almost not, by a small margin
German:
kaum
— almost not, by a small margin
Gothic:
𐌷𐌰𐌻𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍅
(halisaiw)
— almost not, by a small margin
Ancient Greek:
μόλις
(mólis)
— almost not, by a small margin
Hungarian:
alig
— almost not, by a small margin
Irish:
ní móide
— almost not, by a small margin
Latin:
vix
— almost not, by a small margin
Latin:
haud
— almost not, by a small margin
Middle English:
scarsly
— almost not, by a small margin
Portuguese:
mal
— almost not, by a small margin
Scottish Gaelic:
air èiginn
— almost not, by a small margin
Spanish:
apenas
— almost not, by a small margin
Spanish:
difícilmente
— almost not, by a small margin
