Scarcely (Adverb)
Meaning 1
Only a very short time before; "we hardly knew them"; "had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open"; "would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave"- W.B.Yeats.
Examples
- I had scarcely arrived at the party when I saw my ex standing across the room.
- The guests had scarcely finished dinner when the fireworks display began.
- The company had scarcely gone public when investors started buying up shares.
- The professor had scarcely finished speaking when a student stood up to ask a question.
- She had scarcely taken her seat on the plane when the flight attendants announced that the plane was preparing for takeoff.
Synonyms
Meaning 2
Almost not; "he hardly ever goes fishing"; "he was scarce sixteen years old"; "they scarcely ever used the emergency generator"; "I can hardly hear what she is saying"; "she barely seemed to notice him"; "we were so far back in the theater, we could barely read the subtitles".
Examples
- He scarcely ever travels abroad due to his fear of flying.
- She had scarcely finished her breakfast when the phone rang.
- They were scarcely on speaking terms after the argument.
- I can scarcely remember what my grandfather looked like.
- The old car scarcely had enough power to make it up the steep hill.