1
a
: hardly or scarcely
—used to say that something was almost not possible or almost did not happen
I barely recognized you with your hair cut short.
He could barely walk/read/write.
His voice was barely audible above the sound of the river.
The boat was barely visible off the coast.
We barely [=almost do not] have enough money to pay the bills.
I barely [=almost do not] have time to eat my lunch.
He barely made his flight. [=he almost was too late for his flight]
b
—used to say that someone or something only has a specified small size, age, length, etc.
The movie is (just) barely an hour long.
He's barely a teenager.
She's barely four feet tall.
Barely 50 percent of the population voted.
c
—used to say that something reached a specified condition or happened only a short time before
The paint is barely dry.
They had barely [=just] set up the tents when it started to rain.
2
a
: almost not at all
We barely spoke the entire time we were in the car.
I barely knew him.
b
: almost not
There are barely any new features in this software.
There is barely a difference between the two.
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/barely. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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