scarcely
adverb
only a very short time before
“we hardly knew them”
“had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open”
almost not
“he hardly ever goes fishing”
“he was scarce sixteen years old”
Source: WordNet 3.1, Princeton University
Scarcely meaning
What does “scarcely” mean? Definitions, examples, synonyms and opposites.
“scarcely” is an adverb with 2 meanings. Its most common meaning is: only a very short time before.