barely

adverb

bare·​ly ˈber-lē 

1

: in a meager manner : plainly

a barely furnished room

2

: scarcely, hardly

barely enough money for lunch

Synonyms of barely

• slightly
• just
• narrowly
• hardly

Examples of barely in a Sentence

We barely spoke the entire time we were in the car.

There are barely any new features in this software.

There is barely a difference between the two.

Recent Examples on the Web

By spinning up nostalgia for a kind of luxurious rap stardom that barely exists anymore, Baby Osamaa comes up with a sketch of what her own big-budget major label debut would look like. — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026

His endorsement got her through the primary, but barely at that. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026

Hilton crisscrossed the state with campaign events over the summer, while Becerra barely surfaced in public. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

The Gulf barely featured in the election, and voters’ demand for lower prices aligns with regional efforts to end the war and restore normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for barely

• unfairly
• fairly
• rarely
• squarely