hardly ever

adverb
UK: /ˈhɑːdli ˈevə(r)/
US: /ˈhɑːrdli ˈevər/

  1. Almost never; very rarely.

    1. I hardly ever go to the cinema these days.
    2. Since I started working from home, I hardly ever need to take the car.

Synonyms

rarely seldom
hardly ever idiom

  1. Used to emphasize how small an amount or chance is.

    1. There's hardly ever any milk in the fridge.
    2. She had hardly ever spoken to him before that party, which made it awkward.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "hardly ever" is /ˈhɑːdli ˈevə(r)/ in British English and /ˈhɑːrdli ˈevər/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "hardly ever": rarely, seldom.

Example usage of "hardly ever": "I hardly ever go to the cinema these days.". More examples on the page.