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

For more than a decade, your electricity bill barely moved. —Iulia Lupse, Sun Sentinel, 24 May 2026

The shoe features one strap low across the toes, another higher over the instep and a third acting as an ankle strap, giving the Elsa a more secured fit than the mules and barely-there sandals Swift has worn as of late. —Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 24 May 2026

With the season barely halfway through, the coach said that regaining the team’s identity will be just as important as earning points when MLS returns in the summer. —Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026

Take a barely there, milky-white base and top it off with 3D gold chrome designs for a jaw-dropping look. —Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 24 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for barely

• unfairly
• fairly
• rarely
• squarely