🌫️

scarcely

intermediateB2

/ˈskɛərsli/ · scare-cely

Only just; almost not.

Meanings

adverbformal

Only just; almost not.

صرف صرف؛ تقریباً نہیں۔

بمشکل

bimushkil

Synonyms

barelyhardlyrarelyبمشکلکمنایاب

Antonyms

abundantlyplentifullyfrequentlyکثرت سےبہتباہمی

Common Collocations

  • scarcely able
  • scarcely any
  • scarcely believable

Example Sentences

She scarcely had time to finish her homework before dinner.

اس کے پاس رات کے کھانے سے پہلے اپنا ہوم ورک مکمل کرنے کا بمشکل وقت تھا۔

Us ke paas raat ke khanay se pehle apna homework mukammal karne ka bimushkil waqt tha.

There were scarcely a dozen people at the event.

اس تقریب میں بمشکل ایک درجن لوگ موجود تھے۔

Is tazreeb mein bimushkil aik darjan log maujood the.

He could scarcely believe the news.

وہ اس خبر پر بمشکل یقین کر پایا۔

Woh is khabar par bimushkil yaqeen kar paaya.

Easily Confused With

scarcity:Scarcely refers to the frequency or pride of occurrence, while scarcity refers to the limited availability of a resource.

Word Family

scarce
adjectiveنایاب

See Also

💡 Memory Tip

Think of it as 'scarcely two left' when something is almost gone.

Imagine an empty shelf with just one item left.

✍️ Urdu Poetry

ہزاروں خواہشیں ایسی کہ ہر خواہش پہ دم نکلے، بہت نکلے میرے ارمان لیکن پھر بھی کم نکلے۔

Hazaron khwahishen aisi ke har khwahish pe dam nikle, bohat nikle mere armaan lekin phir bhi kam nikle.

Thousands of wishes, each could take my breath away; many of my desires came to fruition, yet still, they were few.

Mirza Ghalib, Unverified

* Poetry attribution is AI-generated and may require verification.

🗣️ Urdu Proverb

ہاتھ میں کچھ نہ ہو، تو کچھ نہیں ہوتا

Haath mein kuch na ho, to kuch nahi hota

If there's nothing in hand, there’s nothing at all.

📖 Etymology

Origin: Middle English "scarseli" — hardly or rarely

First known use: 15th century

The word evolved from Middle English, emphasizing scarcity in various contexts.