SCARCELY Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

scarcely

adverb

ˈskers-lē

Definition of scarcely

as in barely

by a very small margin was scarcely able to walk after the near-fatal accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in no

certainly not I scarcely think that one person being sick is an "epidemic"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scarcely Parents of friends would give Flash records from their collections, scarcely aware of what transformations their dusty music would undergo. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 Roman will spend more than a quarter of its planned five-year primary mission observing this 10,000-light-year-wide region, which is so sprawling and thick with stars that previous telescopes have scarcely probed its depths. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2026 She was cut from a singular cloth with an artistic vision as distinctive as that voice of hers, an instrument of pure emotion that could scarcely be more instantly identifiable as Dolly Parton. — Ed Masley, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 The activity now seen actually serves as a further threat to competitive balance in a division where scarcely anyone stands a chance of winning the title in the first place. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scarcely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarcely

Adverb

How much families can actually save at checkout Saving a buck or two on one item barely registers.

— Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2026
Some people swear by a barely-there rim; others prefer the reassuring heft of a substantial tumbler.

— Vy Yang, Architectural Digest, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of barely

Adverb

Arianespace has announced that the next Ariane 6 launch will take place no earlier than November 23, marking the rocket’s return to flight after ground testing reportedly revealed an issue with one of its turbopumps, European Spaceflight reports.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
To hear Kenneth Walker tell it, the leadup to Sunday’s showdown in Week 7 of the NFL season feels no different from the Chiefs’ previous one, or the one before that.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of no

Adverb

Lam Research, whose equipment and services help make semiconductors, reported gains in profit and revenue for the summer that were slightly stronger than analysts expected, for example.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Step 2 Whisk 2 large eggs, room temperature, ¼ cup half-and-half, ¼ cup (packed; 50 g) dark brown sugar, ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, and 2 tsp.

— Zoe Denenberg, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of slightly

Adverb

The group of girls are just truly amazing and really fight for each other.

— Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Reader poll shows opposition The latest debate comes just a week after the council approved raising its members’ annual salaries by nearly 74%, from $69,000 to $119,750, beginning with the next term.

— Natalie Jones, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of just

Adverb

The 21-year-old from Dallas, who soared to gold in the all-around on Friday after recovering from injuries that wrecked her Olympic hopes in 2021 and again in 2024, hardly looked tired in what has quickly become the meet of her life.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
If the solution isn’t to migrate 70% of the web to a new programming language, then fixing its underlying problems – and all the other software problems in the world – would hardly be an easy fix, either.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of hardly

Browse Nearby Words

scarce

scarcely

scarceness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Scarcely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarcely. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of scarcely

adverb

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