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

Holes riddle nearly every leaf, and some barely have any substance left. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 6 July 2026

All the gold is gone, and there’s barely enough to pay her soldiers, let alone throw a lavish coronation. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026

Paris — As France braces for another heatwave, it’s barely recovered from the last one. — CNN Money, 7 July 2026

My father barely spoke of those dangers and difficulties, the way men of his generation often did. — Mahsa Alimardani, Time, 6 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for barely

• unfairly
• fairly
• rarely
• squarely