scarcely B2 Topic:Time Also spelled skasely US /ˈskɛɹsli/ UK /ˈskɛəsli/ See IPA manual Freq #14930 Meanings 1 adv Almost not at all; only just. She was so tired she could scarcely keep her eyes open. 2 adv Surely not; definitely not (used to reject an idea). You can scarcely expect him to fly a helicopter with no training. 3 adv Only a very short time before (used with 'when'). Scarcely had she arrived when the phone rang. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · almost not at all; only just. barelyhardlyjust 3 adv · only a very short time... barely Word family Related forms rarely Etymology AI details From Middle English scarcely, scarsly, scarsely, scarsliche, scarseliche, equivalent to scarce + -ly. scarcely Middle English View etymology graph -> Topics Time External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # scarcely **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈskɛɹsli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈskɛəsli/ **Frequency rank:** 14930 ## Meanings 1. Almost not at all; only just. 2. Surely not; definitely not (used to reject an idea). 3. Only a very short time before (used with 'when'). ## Examples - She was so tired she could scarcely keep her eyes open. - You can scarcely expect him to fly a helicopter with no training. - Scarcely had she arrived when the phone rang. ## Synonyms - hardly ## Related Forms - rarely ## Roots and Affixes - Root: scarcely ## Etymology From Middle English scarcely, scarsly, scarsely, scarsliche, scarseliche, equivalent to scarce + -ly. ## AI Etymology Scarcely comes from Middle English scarcely, scarsly, scarsely, scarsliche, scarseliche, equivalent to scarce + -ly. Modern senses include almost not at all; only just. and surely not; definitely not (used to reject an idea).. The wider word family includes related forms such as rarely. ## Topics - Time markdown