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

• hardly
• just
• marginally
• narrowly
• scarcely
• slightly

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

Ellie’s resourcefulness, and her understanding that she can be bitten without turning, barely gets them out alive, and forces her to tell Dina the truth about her immunity. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2025

Just a whisper south of Palm Beach, the tiny seaside town of Manalapan—barely 2.4 square miles and home to fewer than 500 residents—has suddenly become the South Florida destination of choice for the world’s wealthiest home buyers. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 May 2025

Best Time To Eat A Cold Plate Cold Plate Recipes Summer weather in the South is divided into two categories: sweltering and barely bearable. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 3 May 2025

But the coaching staff have barely used Vallejo, who has played 10 minutes this term and has made only 32 appearances for the club since joining in 2015. —Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 3 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for barely

• unfairly
• fairly
• rarely
• squarely