Hardly useful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'hardly useful' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate that something is of very little use or value. For example: I found the information she gave me to be hardly useful.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

19 human-written examples

They're hardly useful objects.

The New York Times

A camera that doesn't see all of the people in a huddle room is hardly useful.

TechCrunch

This has the drawback that most available solutions are hardly useful in contexts different from their original setup.

Marine Geology

These experiments demonstrate that the Agent can be optimized using fingerprint based Jaccard similarity as the objective, but making copies of the query structure is hardly useful.

Journal of Cheminformatics

In the early 1990s, as it became clear that general recommendations were hardly useful [9], the emphasis shifted from guidelines to control systems and finely tuned methodologies.

Complex & Intelligent Systems

One of such situations is indoor positioning and tracking, where satellite signals are hardly useful (unless extremely large integration times are considered).

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

41 human-written examples

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), useful tools to assess bedside manners and student-patient communication, were hardly used: only one respondent incorporated LGBT aspects into an OSCE.

BMC Medical Education

The Treasury secretary said a blank check would be a bazooka he might be able to keep holstered, since the threat of such a weapon might make it unneccessary to use, while anything less would be a squirt gun that would hardly be useful.

Forbes

Engineers they might be, but hardly the useful kind if this EP is anything to go by.

The Guardian - Music

But what may be a rhetorical necessity for presidents is hardly a useful concept for policy makers.

The New York Times - Books

It would hardly be useful for Mr Morsi to visit America in the run-up to its presidential election.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing the impact of a policy or action, use "hardly useful" to underscore its negligible or limited positive effect.

Common error

Avoid using "hardly useful" when you mean completely useless; it implies some minimal level of utility, however small.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hardly useful" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun to indicate that it possesses very little utility or value. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it serves to qualify the extent of usefulness, suggesting it's minimal.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "hardly useful" is a grammatically sound and commonly used adjectival phrase signifying minimal utility. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability. It's prevalent in contexts like news, science, and business. While synonymous with terms like "barely effective" and "of little use", it's crucial to distinguish it from "completely useless", as "hardly useful" retains a sliver of utility. Use it to temper expectations and underscore the limited positive impact of something without implying total worthlessness.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Barely effective

Indicates a minimal level of effectiveness, suggesting it's close to being ineffective.

Of little use

Emphasizes the lack of utility or benefit derived from something.

Practically useless

Highlights the near complete lack of usability in a practical sense.

Almost worthless

Focuses on the very low value or worth of something.

Scarcely beneficial

Suggests a minimal or negligible benefit.

Marginally helpful

Implies a slight degree of assistance, but not significantly effective.

Not very practical

Indicates a lack of practicality or suitability for real-world situations.

Ineffective to a degree

Expresses a limited capacity to produce the desired effect.

Of limited utility

Highlights the restricted range of usefulness.

Functionally impaired

Describes something that's ability to perform its function is diminished.

FAQs

How can I use "hardly useful" in a sentence?

You can use "hardly useful" to describe something that provides little to no benefit or assistance. For example, "The old map was "hardly useful" in navigating the unmarked trails".

What are some alternatives to "hardly useful"?

Alternatives include "barely effective", "of little use", or "practically useless", depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "hardly useful"?

It's appropriate when something has a minimal amount of utility, but not enough to be considered significantly helpful or effective. If something is completely useless, use that term instead.

What's the difference between "hardly useful" and "completely useless"?

"Hardly useful" implies a small degree of usefulness, whereas "completely useless" means there is absolutely no benefit or function.