scarcely
only a very short time before
How often you will meet it
Rank 744 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 25,198 times across 155,370 chapters — 0.012% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
adverb
- only a very short time before also: barely, hardly, just, scarce we hardly knew themhad scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open
- almost not also: hardly, barely, scarce he hardly ever goes fishinghe was scarce sixteen years old
scarcely in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
-
He seemed scarcely to have heard me.
The Betrayal · E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim · Chapter 1
-
With such preparation, scarcely anything is impossible of attainment.
The White Christmas and other Merry · Walter Ben Hare · Chapter 1
-
Scarcely had the train reached Paris than this torture commenced.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1
-
A mind scarcely now to be imitated, so contrary to self-preservation, the most powerful law of Nature.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures · Daniel Defoe · Chapter 1
-
He saw the cataract of the Golden River springing from the hillside, scarcely five hundred feet above him.
Famous Stories Every Child Should Know · Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie · Chapter 1