HARDLY

adverb Date: before 12th century with force ; vigorously, in a severe manner ; harshly, with difficulty ; painfully, 4. a. — used to emphasize a minimal amount b. — used to soften a negative certainly not , Usage: Hardly in sense 5 is used sometimes with not for emphasis . In sense 4b with a negative verb (as can't, wouldn't, didn't) it does not make a double negative but softens the negative. In “you can't ~ find a red one,” the sense is that you can find a red one, but only with difficulty; in “you can't find a red one,” the sense is that red ones are simply not available. Use of ~ with a negative verb is a speech form; it is most commonly heard in Southern and Midland speech areas. In other speech areas and in all discursive prose, ~ is normally used with a positive .