HARDLY in a Sentence

Learn HARDLY from example sentences; some of them are from classic books. These examples are selected from a corpus with 300,000 sentences, including classic works and current mainstream media. Some sentences also link to their contexts.

297 example sentences for HARDLY, such as:

1. He could hardly contain his fury.
2. I hardly expected that you would.
3. His frail hands could hardly hold a cup.
4. She could hardly contain her excitement.
5. My fingers were so numb I could hardly write.

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 Meanings and Examples of HARDLY
Definition Example Sentence Classic Sentence
hardly
 ad.  almost not
 ad.  only a very short time before
Classic Sentence: (210 in 15 pages)
1  I gave him a short sketch of my adventures, and had hardly concluded it by the time that we reached our destination.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER I. MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES
2  That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER II. THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION
3  The thought had hardly passed through my mind when the man whom we were watching caught sight of the number on our door, and ran rapidly across the roadway.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER II. THE SCIENCE OF DEDUCTION
4  So swiftly was the examination made, that one would hardly have guessed the minuteness with which it was conducted.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER III. THE LAURISTON GARDEN MYSTERY
5  The hall door had hardly slammed behind our visitor before Holmes had descended the stair.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER V. OUR ADVERTISEMENT BRINGS A VISITOR
6  The very night of his arrival he became very much the worse for drink, and, indeed, after twelve o'clock in the day he could hardly ever be said to be sober.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER VI. TOBIAS GREGSON SHOWS WHAT HE CAN DO
7  At times she spoke so low that I could hardly catch the words.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER VI. TOBIAS GREGSON SHOWS WHAT HE CAN DO
8  The unfortunate creature's tongue seemed hardly to have been moistened in it before it gave a convulsive shiver in every limb, and lay as rigid and lifeless as if it had been struck by lightning.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER VII. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
9  This last statement appeared to me to be so startling, that I could hardly believe that he was in his sober senses.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART I: CHAPTER VII. LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
10  During this dialogue, John Ferrier had stood fuming in the doorway, hardly able to keep his riding-whip from the backs of his two visitors.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART II: CHAPTER IV. A FLIGHT FOR LIFE
11  He had hardly completed his arrangements before the farmer returned with his daughter all dressed and ready for a start.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART II: CHAPTER IV. A FLIGHT FOR LIFE
12  He and his friends had hardly crouched down before the melancholy hooting of a mountain owl was heard within a few yards of them, which was immediately answered by another hoot at a small distance.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART II: CHAPTER IV. A FLIGHT FOR LIFE
13  He had hardly started, however, before he realized the difficulty which faced him.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART II: CHAPTER V. THE AVENGING ANGELS
14  "Well, really, it can hardly be described as otherwise," said Sherlock Holmes, smiling at my surprise.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART II: CHAPTER VII. THE CONCLUSION
15  I hardly expected that you would.
A Study In Scarlet By Arthur Conan Doyle
Context  Highlight   In PART II: CHAPTER VII. THE CONCLUSION
Example Sentence: (87 in 6 pages)
16  My fingers were so numb I could hardly write.
17  I could hardly believe the evidence of my own senses.
18  After years of close work, she could hardly see a thing if it was over a yard away.
19  I could hardly believe my luck when he said yes.
20  He that liveth wickedly can hardly die honestly.
21  The central issue of the debate was hardly touched on in his speech.
22  He could hardly contain his fury.
23  At the sight of this cruelty, they could hardly contain their anger.
24  He was so excited he could hardly contain himself.
25  She could hardly contain her excitement.
26  He appeared hardly capable of conducting a coherent conversation.
27  His frail hands could hardly hold a cup.
28  Words can hardly describe the beauty of the scene.
29  What she did was so shocking that I can hardly describe it.
30  This is hardly the time to discuss such matters.