hardly met

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'hardly met' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to mean that two people or things have only just become acquainted with each other, or known to each other, or that a very small amount of something has been obtained. For example, "I had hardly met him before he asked me to marry him."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

33 human-written examples

Omar Minaya, the team's general manager from 2005 to 2010 and the person who signed Martinez and Santana, acknowledged that they hardly met their full potential as Mets.

The New York Times - Sports

This case hardly met that test.

The New York Times

But Mr. Obama's presidency has hardly met that expectation.

The New York Times

Mr. Jacobs's idea was hardly met with unanimous enthusiasm.

The New York Times

One-sided no? MMS has hardly met the public, while Sonia has never encountered any debate.

The New York Times

This hardly met the test of stability and security, let alone principle.

The Guardian - Opinion

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

27 human-written examples

Mr. Ravitch seldom speaks with the governor, and they hardly meet.

The New York Times

A conventional controller can hardly meet these two conflicting objectives simultaneously.

Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence

Methods of traditional air conditioning design can hardly meet all the requirements.

Building and Environment

This conduct hardly meets the fiduciary standards applicable to such a transaction.

Harvard University

Previous works on RBM did not consider imperfect maintenance and thus could hardly meet the engineering requirements of process industries.

Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "hardly met" to describe situations where contact or acquaintance is minimal, emphasizing the lack of familiarity or interaction between the subjects. For example, "They had "hardly met" before being assigned to work on the same project."

Common error

Avoid using "hardly met" when you mean to convey that individuals have never met or have absolutely no prior acquaintance. "Hardly met" implies some level of contact, however minimal, and isn't interchangeable with "never met."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hardly met" functions as an adverbial modifier describing the extent of interaction between subjects. Ludwig examples showcase its role in specifying the degree to which individuals are acquainted.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Science

36%

Academia

12%

Less common in

Wiki

4%

Encyclopedias

4%

Formal & Business

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "hardly met" is grammatically correct and commonly used to indicate a minimal level of acquaintance or interaction. Ludwig AI validates this, showing its prevalence across various reputable sources like The New York Times, The Guardian and scientific publications. While its usage is broad, it's essential to distinguish it from "never met", which implies a complete absence of contact. Common alternatives include "scarcely encountered" and "barely knew". Remember to use "hardly met" when you want to convey a lack of familiarity due to limited interaction, not a complete absence of any prior meeting.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

scarcely encountered

Replaces "met" with "encountered", suggesting a chance or brief meeting that was infrequent.

barely knew

Focuses on the lack of knowledge due to limited interaction, rather than the meeting itself.

infrequently associated with

Emphasizes the lack of regular contact or connection between individuals or entities.

rarely interacted with

Highlights the infrequency of interactions, making it suitable for describing distant relationships.

almost strangers

Indicates a level of unfamiliarity, suggesting that the parties are not well-acquainted.

virtually unknown to each other

Suggests a complete lack of familiarity, indicating minimal to no prior interaction.

had little contact with

Indicates minimal interaction or communication between the subjects.

had minimal acquaintance with

Focuses on the superficial nature of the relationship due to limited interaction.

were distantly acquainted

Implies a formal and limited connection, suggesting a lack of personal relationship.

were not closely connected

Highlights the absence of a strong relationship, emphasizing the lack of a deep bond.

FAQs

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

You can use "hardly met" to indicate that individuals have had very little interaction or are barely acquainted. For instance, "We had "hardly met" before he asked me to be his business partner."

What's a good alternative to "hardly met"?

Depending on the context, alternatives to "hardly met" include "scarcely encountered", "barely knew", or "infrequently associated with".

Is it correct to say "hardly meet" instead of "hardly met"?

The phrase "hardly meet" is grammatically correct, but it carries a slightly different meaning than "hardly met". "Hardly meet" indicates that two parties rarely or infrequently come together, whereas "hardly met" indicates that the parties do not know each other because the contact was very little.

What is the difference between "hardly met" and "never met"?

"Hardly met" suggests a minimal level of interaction or acquaintance, whereas "never met" indicates a complete absence of any prior contact. The degree of familiarity is the differentiating factor.