adv.
Pronunciation: ' härd-l ē
Function: adverb
Date: before 12th century
1 : with force : VIGOROUSLY
2 : in a severe manner : HARSHLY
3 : with difficulty : PAINFULLY
4 a ― used to emphasize a minimal amount <I hardly knew her> <almost new hardly a scratch on it> b ― used to soften a negative <you can't hardly tell who anyone is ― G. B. Shaw>
5 : certainly not <that news is hardly surprising>
usage Hardly in sense 5 is used sometimes with not for emphasis <just another day at the office? Not hardly >. 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 hardly 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 hardly 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, hardly is normally used with a positive <you can hardly find a red one>.