What does "hardly" mean?
Hardly: Unwillingly; grudgingly. The House of Peers gave so hardly theiMilton.
Additional senses
- 2.Scarcely; barely; not guite; not wholly. Hardly shall you one so bad, but he desires the credit of being thought good. South.
- 3.Severely; harshly; roughly. He has in many things been hardly used. Swift.
- 4.Confidently; hardily. [Obs.] Holland.
- 5.Certainly; surely; indeed. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00