How to Use hardly in a Sentence

hardly

adverb
  • This is hardly a new idea for a movie.
  • The changes in service have hardly been noticed.
  • Hardly anyone showed up for the meeting.
  • There are hardly any new features in this software.
  • Hardly a day goes by when I don't think about you.
  • It hardly matters what I think.
  • But his role here was hardly a stretch.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2026
  • But the path is hardly a smooth one.
    — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Democrats say that bill is hardly clean.
    — Ian Swanson, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025
  • William could hardly eat or sleep.
    — Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
  • It’s hardly set in stone, of course.
    — Josh Yohe, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
  • As for snow, there’s been hardly any.
    — Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026
  • But its tragedy was hardly unique.
    — NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The King homages hardly stop there.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 15 June 2026
  • Salt for ice control is hardly a new idea.
    — Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 21 Jan. 2026
  • And there is hardly anyone who can sue.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
  • There were hardly any pink jerseys in the crowd.
    — Kevin Baxter follow, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Light’s role in human health is hardly a new idea.
    — Lynne Peeples, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Again, hardly the sign of a sport that is broken.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
  • This is hardly the first time these two have gone at each other.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
  • In the first episode, the male presence is hardly felt.
    — Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
  • And now, the stakes could hardly be higher.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • That hardly seemed to be a prophecy.
    — Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2025
  • This hardly lasts past a second day.
    — Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
  • This hardly lasts past a second day.
    — Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 5 June 2026
  • City were hardly passing through this press with any ease.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The extra step hardly slowed him down.
    — Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Reaves was hardly alone in that regard.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 9 May 2026
  • Church bells ring out, but there is hardly anyone in the streets.
    — Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Anyway, the plot is hardly the point.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hardly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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