scarcely

Word parts

scarce + -ly

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈskɛəsli/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /ˈskɛrsli/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: scarce‧ly

Adverb

Positive scarcely

Comparative more scarcely

Superlative most scarcely

1. If you can scarcely hear what a person is saying, the person is speaking so softly that you can barely hear what they are talking about.
2. If you scarcely expect someone to be able to do something, there is only a slim chance of them being able to do the task.