hardly successful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "hardly successful" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation or effort that has not achieved significant success or has fallen short of expectations. Example: "Despite the team's efforts, the project was hardly successful, resulting in minimal impact on the market."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Though hardly successful as drama, or any other kind of entertainment, "Jackie" is by no means a slapdash job.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Hardly a successful outing.

The Guardian - Business

On that count, Train was hardly more successful.

The New York Times - Books

A version made in 1974 was hardly more successful.

The New Yorker

His first growth spurt had been cut short; his second was hardly more successful.

The New Yorker

Bottas was slow and mistake-prone, which is hardly a successful combination in this business.

The Guardian - Sport

Apparently your dad tried to discourage you from pursuing a career in music because there were hardly any successful black British musicians.

The Guardian

The Afghan war (hardly a successful venture) is estimated to have cost the UK around £37bn – a startling example of governments finding money when they choose.

The Guardian

History has taught us that prohibition is hardly a successful measure for combating addiction and, furthermore, those born in 2000 are 14 years old.

The Guardian - Opinion

In comparing both cases, the conclusion is drawn, that a negative definition of landscape form, which is derived as an urban containment, can hardly be successful to protect open spaces in growing city regions.

Landscape and Urban Planning

In "Custer Died for Your Sins," a manifesto of the Native American-rights movement from 1969, the Sioux historian Vine Deloria, Jr., observed that, although "people often feel guilty about their ancestors killing all those Indians years ago," the twentieth century had in fact "seen a more devious but hardly less successful war waged against Indian communities".

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "hardly successful" to delicately express a lack of significant achievement without being overly critical. It is suitable for scenarios where some effort was made, but the results were underwhelming.

Common error

Avoid using "hardly successful" when something is clearly a failure. "Hardly" implies a small degree of the described quality. Saying "It was hardly a disaster" implies it was close to being a disaster, not that it was a triumph.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "hardly successful" functions as an adjectival phrase modifying a noun or pronoun to describe something that has achieved very little or no success. Ludwig AI confirms its usability in written English.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Reference

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "hardly successful" is a phrase used to describe something that has achieved very little or no success, often serving to soften criticism or downplay results. According to Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically correct and usable in written English. It's commonly found in news, media, and academic contexts, making it suitable for various communication styles. Related phrases include ""not very successful"" and ""barely successful"", providing alternative ways to express a lack of achievement. It's important to avoid using "hardly successful" when describing something that is clearly a complete failure, as "hardly" implies some degree of the described quality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

not very successful

Replaces "hardly" with "not very", softening the negation while retaining the core meaning.

barely successful

Substitutes "hardly" with "barely", emphasizing the minimal level of success achieved.

scarcely successful

Uses "scarcely" instead of "hardly", indicating a near absence of success.

minimally successful

Replaces "hardly" with "minimally", highlighting the slight degree of success attained.

unsuccessful to a degree

Emphasizes the lack of success but acknowledges a possibility of slight success.

not particularly successful

Adds "particularly" to further weaken the degree of success.

somewhat unsuccessful

Implies a partial lack of success, suggesting a mixed outcome.

marginally successful

Indicates success exists, but only just, and to an insignificant extent.

falls short of success

Expresses failure more directly than "hardly successful".

a qualified success

Suggests that the success is limited or comes with caveats.

FAQs

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

You can use "hardly successful" to describe an attempt or venture that did not achieve its intended goals. For instance, "The marketing campaign was "hardly successful", as sales remained low".

What are some alternatives to saying "hardly successful"?

Alternatives to "hardly successful" include "not very successful", "barely successful", or "scarcely successful". The choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is there a difference between "hardly successful" and "unsuccessful"?

"Hardly successful" implies a small degree of success, whereas "unsuccessful" suggests a complete lack of success. "Hardly successful" softens the negative impact.

In what contexts is "hardly successful" most appropriate?

"Hardly successful" is suitable in contexts where you want to acknowledge effort or attempt but downplay the positive results, often in business reports, project evaluations, or polite critiques.