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

McConnell, who at 84 is only the third-oldest member of the Senate, was admitted to the hospital on June 14 with barely any explanation. — ABC News, 14 July 2026

Any suggestion that the hot hit of spice barely disguising a watery want of flavor was all too fitting a symbol for this phase in Madonna’s career would have been met with indignation. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

While most teams have ample cap space that year, the 49ers — as perspective — are barely below the cap that season. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

He’s not desensitized to the many daily horrors that barely register with most of us. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for barely

• unfairly
• fairly
• rarely
• squarely