scar
cely
1
almost not; only just enough
- I could scarcely hear her whisper.
- She could scarcely stand after the long walk.
- The child was scarcely tall enough to reach the shelf.
- He was so tired he could scarcely keep his eyes open.
- The car could scarcely make it up the steep hill.
2
almost immediately before something else happened
- She had scarcely closed the door when the phone rang.
- The guests had scarcely arrived before the party started.
- The show had scarcely begun when the lights went out.
- He had scarcely left the house when it began to rain.
- We had scarcely sat down before the meeting began.
3
very unlikely to happen or be true
- You could scarcely have chosen a better gift.
- She could scarcely arrive before noon.
- They could scarcely expect a different outcome.
- He could scarcely have known the truth.
- We could scarcely hope for more support.
Synonyms: