hardly

Etymology

From Middle English hardely, hardliche, from Old English heardlīċe (“boldly; hardily; without ease; in a way that causes pain; not easily; only by degrees”), equivalent to hard + -ly. Compare Dutch hardelijk, German härtlich.

adv

1. (degree) Barely, only just, almost not.
   They hardly ever watch television.
   It's hardly possible he could lose the election.
2. Certainly not; not at all.
   I hardly think they'll come in this bad weather!
   With this the second of three games in seven days for Stoke, it was hardly surprising to see nine changes from the side that started against Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday. November 3, 2011, David Ornstein, “Macc Tel-Aviv 1-2 Stoke”, in BBC Sport
   Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return. 2013-07-06, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68
3. (now rare) With difficulty.
   And what gentle flame soever doth warme the heart of young virgins, yet are they hardly drawne to leave and forgoe their mothers, to betake them to their husbands […]. , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.234
   While in Chelsea, Anne Smiley pined, taking very hardly to her unaccustomed role of wife abandoned. 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 40
4. (manner, archaic) Harshly, severely; in a hard manner.
   Mr. Cholmondeley, the young men out here are much too hardly worked to allow them time for paying impertinent compliments. Feb 1866, [O.G. Trevelyan], “The Dawk Bungalow”, in Frazer's Magazine, London, page 219
5. (manner, obsolete) Firmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion.
   Let him hardly be possest with an honest curiositie to search out the nature and causes of all things […]. , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.148

intj

1. Not really.
   I think the Beatles are a really overrated band. ― Hardly!