The news is 'hardly' surprising. = The news is 'hardly' a surprise. [=the news is not surprising at all]
“Is this a new idea for a movie?” “'Hardly'! I've seen dozens of movies just like it.”
I could 'hardly' believe my eyes. [=it was difficult to believe what I was seeing]
(..) Do you remember my old boyfriend, Mark? / Yeah. It's his Dad. Ha! Well, so he's got to be... Old? Yeah. But he travels a lot so he's hardly ever there. Pretty, I've got to tell you it sounds a little bit like you like the apartment more than you like... Myron. Um, yeah, I told you he was old. (..)2003 TvShow: Friends Title: The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits Season: 10 Episode 5