Pronunciation: /ˈskɛrsli/

Definitions of scarcely

adverb Scarcely is an adverb that means barely or hardly. It is used to indicate that something is only just true or possible.

Example Sentences

A1 I scarcely have any money left.

A2 She could scarcely believe her eyes.

B1 The store was scarcely open when I arrived.

B2 He had scarcely finished speaking when the phone rang.

C1 The project was completed with scarcely any errors.

C2 Scarcely had she entered the room when she realized her mistake.

preposition Scarcely can also function as a preposition when used in phrases like 'scarcely a day goes by without...'.

Example Sentences

A1 I could scarcely believe my eyes when I saw the size of the cake.

A2 She had scarcely finished her dinner when the phone rang.

B1 The store was scarcely open for an hour before it started raining.

B2 The project was scarcely underway when they realized they needed more resources.

C1 The company was scarcely prepared for the sudden increase in demand.

C2 The team had scarcely begun their research when they made a groundbreaking discovery.

Examples of scarcely in a Sentence

formal The resources were scarcely enough to meet the demands of the growing population.

informal I had scarcely finished my meal when the phone rang.

slang I was scarcely able to keep my eyes open during the boring lecture.

figurative Her love for him was like a flame that could scarcely be extinguished.

Grammatical Forms of scarcely

past tense

scarcely

plural

scarcely

comparative

more scarcely

superlative

most scarcely

present tense

scarcely

future tense

will scarcely

perfect tense

have scarcely

continuous tense

is scarcely

singular

scarcely

positive degree

scarcely

infinitive

to scarcely

gerund

scarcelying

participle

scarcelyed

Origin and Evolution of scarcely

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The word 'scarcely' originated from the Middle English word 'scarsliche' which came from the Old Norse word 'skarsliga' meaning 'in a scanty manner'.
Evolution of the word: Over time, 'scarcely' has retained its original meaning of 'barely' or 'hardly', but has also come to be used to indicate a small quantity or degree of something.