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

Aasif Mandvi and Christopher Fitzgerald barely register as Jane and Julia’s oblivious husbands, while Consuelos, who plays Maurice as a suave cuckolder with a dodgy European accent, should probably stick to daytime TV. —Brent Lang, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026

Sirius is the brightest nighttime star, and the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, the Big Dog, still barely visible in the low early evening southwestern sky. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026

But Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw to the second base bag just barely beat Jahmai Jones’ slide, and while the Tigers designated hitter was initially ruled safe, the play was overturned on replay. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026

In a longer American life—one that now routinely extends into the early eighties—the forties are barely the midpoint. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for barely

• unfairly
• fairly
• rarely
• squarely