Quick Definition
μόλις Adv with difficulty, hardly
Strong's Definition
probably by variation for 3425; with difficulty
KJV Usage: hardly, scarce(-ly), + with much work
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
advb. | μόγις
78.41 · Degree · About, Approximately, Almost, Hardly [Approximate Degree]
barely, just, scarcely, with difficulty, hardly a degree which almost equals some point on a scale of extent, but not quite For another interpretation of μόλις in ACT 14:18, see 22.33.
22.33 · Trouble, Hardship, Relief, Favorable Circumstances · Difficult, Hard
with difficulty pertaining to that which can be accomplished only with difficulty Because of the complications involved in rendering the expression ‘only with difficulty,’ it may be necessary to recast the translation of ACT 14:18 as ‘with these words they were able to keep the crowds from offering a sacrifice to them, but it was extremely difficult for them to accomplish this’ or ‘... but they had to try very hard to keep the crowds from doing so.’ For another interpretation of μόλις in ACT 14:18, see 78.41.
1 μόλις and μόγις are often regarded as alternative forms of the same lexical item. The form μόγις appears to be preferred in later prose.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
μόλις, (μόλος toil); an adv. used by post-Hom. writ. indiscriminately with μόγις ; a. with difficulty, hardly, (ef. Sap. ix. 16, where μετὰ πόνου corresponds to it in the parallel member) : [Lk. ix. 39 Tr mrg. WH (al. μόγις, qv.)]; Acts xiv. 18; xxvii. 7 sq. 16; 1 Pet. iv. 18. b. not easily, i. e. scarcely, very rarelu: Ro. v. 7.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
μόλις molis 6x
with difficulty, scarcely, hardly, Acts 14:18; 27:7, 8, 16; Rom. 5:7; 1 Pet. 4:18*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
μόλις, adv.
(< μόλος, toil),
post-Hom. alternative for μόγις,
[in LXX: Pr 11:31, Wi 9:16, al.;]
with difficulty, hardly, scarcely: Lk 9:39 (T, μόγις), Ac 14:8 27:7, 8, 16, Ro 5:7, I Pe 4:18(LXX).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
μόλις. P Tebt I. τοῦ (B.c. 114) μόλις ἕως τῆς KE χωρισθήσονται, ‘* they will hardly depart until the 25th” (Edd.), P Ryl II. 113°? (A.D. 133) μόλις πάντα τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ πωλήσας ἐδυνήθην πληρῶσαι, “1 was with difficulty able to complete this by selling all my property” (Edd.), P Oxy VIII. 1117} (c. A.D. 178) μέτρια κεκτήμεθα ἐξ ὧν kal μόλις ζῶμεν, and Kaibel 5311 μόλις ποτὲ ηὗρον δεσπότ[ην] εὐνούστατον. In MGr μόλις may have a temporal sense, ‘‘ just now,” The word is perhaps related to p@dos, Lat. moles, just as μόγις comes from μόγος (Boisacq, p. 643). ‘as soon as.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
μόλις (molis) — hardly. μόλῐς, adverb, post-[Refs 8th c.BC+], prevailing in Trag., Comedy texts, and Attic dialect prose, though in [Refs 5th c.BC+] the Laur. Ms. gives each form twice, the same Ms. of [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. μέν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἠνεσχόμην [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ζῶντι καὶ μάλα μ. nay, only just alive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; μ. καὶ ἠρέμα πάσχειν scarcely at all.., [Refs 4th c.BC+] not scarcely, i.e. quite, utterly, ἀπώλεσας οὐ μ. [Refs 4th c.BC+]; θέλουσαν οὐ μ. καλεῖς [Refs 5th c.BC+]