hardly passing

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "hardly passing" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where someone or something barely meets a standard or requirement. Example: "The exam was challenging, and I felt I was hardly passing with my score."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

America's public schools are hardly passing: they garnered a C-plus.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

They could hardly pass a ball.

The Guardian - Sport

And those 115 seasons have hardly passed without opportunities.

The New York Times - Sports

That hardly passes for credible social science, though.

The New York Times - Arts

Loving Adventure Manuel Gomez Jr. could hardly pass up an adventure.

The New York Times

Murray, so often criticised for his rants, hardly passed a glance towards his box all afternoon.

The Guardian - Sport

On the contrary, with a gun on my hip I could hardly pass as a peaceable noncombatant.

The New York Times

It was all strange; Namath himself, still the best pure passer any of us has ever seen, hardly passed the ball at all.

The New Yorker

Barbican Hall, EC2, Wed JF The centenary of the most famous shipwreck of the 20th century could hardly pass without the work by Gavin Bryars that commemorates it.

The Guardian - Music

You can hardly pass a billboard in New York City without seeing her face plastered on advertisements for her new movie, "Maid In Manhattan".

The New York Times

The mannequin heads, attached as they were to the counter, occasionally required the hairdresser to perform a stranglehold and twist that would hardly pass muster in most salons.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "hardly passing" to convey a sense of barely meeting a minimum requirement or standard. It implies a situation where success was achieved but with very little room to spare.

Common error

Avoid using "hardly passing" when you mean complete success. It indicates a marginal achievement, not a resounding victory. Ensure the context aligns with the idea of a narrow escape or minimal compliance.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hardly passing" functions as an adverbial modifier describing the manner in which something is passing. It indicates that the passing is occurring with great difficulty or by a very slim margin. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Wiki

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "hardly passing" is a grammatically correct construction used to describe something that barely meets a minimum requirement or standard. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is a valid and usable phrase. While it appears most frequently in news and media contexts, it's suitability for formal writing may be limited, with more formal alternatives like "marginally successful" often being more appropriate. Remember that "hardly passing" implies a close call, a narrow escape, or minimal compliance, and should be used when that is the intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

barely passing

Emphasizes the small margin by which something is passing.

minimally passing

Directly describes the passing as being minimal.

scarcely passing

Similar to "hardly", emphasizing the minimal nature of the success.

only just passing

Focuses on the narrowness of the achievement.

just scraping by

Implies managing to succeed with difficulty.

narrowly succeeding

Highlights the close call in achieving success.

almost failing

Shifts the focus to the proximity of failure.

squeaking through

Suggests a tight and possibly lucky success.

making it by the skin of one's teeth

An idiomatic expression for a very close success.

passing by a hair's breadth

Emphasizes how small the difference between passing and failing was.

FAQs

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

You can use "hardly passing" to describe a situation where someone or something barely meets a standard or requirement. For example, "The student was "hardly passing" the course despite putting in extra effort."

What are some alternatives to the phrase "hardly passing"?

Some alternatives to "hardly passing" include "barely passing", "just scraping by", or "narrowly succeeding". The choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it appropriate to use "hardly passing" in formal writing?

While "hardly passing" is grammatically correct, it is more suited for informal or neutral contexts. In formal writing, consider using alternatives like "marginally successful" or "minimally compliant" for a more professional tone.

What's the difference between "hardly passing" and "failing"?

"Hardly passing" indicates that someone or something has just met the minimum requirement, whereas "failing" means they did not meet the requirement at all. The key difference lies in the minimal level of success achieved in the first case.