scarcely

Adverb
Synonyms: barelyhardlyjustscarce

WordNet 3.0

Adverb (2)

  1. only a very short time before“they could barely hear the speaker”“we hardly knew them”“just missed being hit”“had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open”“would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave — W.B.Yeats”Synonyms: barelyhardlyjustscarce
  2. almost not“he hardly ever goes fishing”“he was hardly more than sixteen years old”“they scarcely ever used the emergency generator”Synonyms: hardly
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Scarce \Scarce\, Scarcely \Scarce"ly\, adv.

1.With difficulty; hardly; scantly; barely; but just. [1913 Webster]

With a scarce well-lighted flame.— Milton.[1913 Webster]
The eldest scarcely five year was of age.— Chaucer.[1913 Webster]
Slowly she sails, and scarcely stems the tides.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]
He had scarcely finished, when the laborer arrived who had been sent for my ransom.— W. Irving.[1913 Webster]

2.Frugally; penuriously. [Obs.] --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

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