scarcely — hardly; only just; almost not
Part of speech: ADVERB
Definition: hardly; only just; almost not
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈskersli/
Example Sentences
- I had scarcely finished my homework when my cat decided to sleep on it.
- The new employee could scarcely hide his excitement about free coffee.
- She had scarcely enough money to buy a decent meal.
scarcely
ADVERB[/ˈskersli/]
hardly; only just; almost not
Villagers crowd a dry well where water scarcely trickles from the cracked earth.
Scarcely one bottle remains — barely enough when hands reach in vain.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old French 'escars' meaning 'limited' or 'sparing,' derived from Latin 'excarpsus' (picked out, selected). The suffix '-ly' was added to form an adverb.
Breakdown
scarce (adjective, from Old French escars) + -ly (adverb suffix) = scarcely
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“I had scarcely finished my homework when my cat decided to sleep on it.”
“The new employee could scarcely hide his excitement about free coffee.”
“She had scarcely enough money to buy a decent meal.”
“There was scarcely any traffic on the highway this morning.”
📚Related Words
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