as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barely
She was shuttled around to grandparents, a father who was barely able to keep a family together.
—
Greg Mellen, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Duff attended the Fendi Spring/Summer 2026 show on Tuesday, September 24, along with a number of other fashion-loving celebrities like Naomi Watts and Shailene Woodley, both of whom wore muted colors and barely-there nail polishes.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 25 Sep. 2025
Robots companies are barely talking about security in public, despite how damaging even the perception of an unsecured robot might be.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 2025
Hip injuries limited the infielder to barely two dozen games with the Bears.
—Staff, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Greg Mellen, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
Duff attended the Fendi Spring/Summer 2026 show on Tuesday, September 24, along with a number of other fashion-loving celebrities like Naomi Watts and Shailene Woodley, both of whom wore muted colors and barely-there nail polishes.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 25 Sep. 2025
Robots companies are barely talking about security in public, despite how damaging even the perception of an unsecured robot might be.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 2025
Hip injuries limited the infielder to barely two dozen games with the Bears.
—Staff, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
Ohio State University, which enrolls the most international students in Ohio, reported a 37% drop in first-year international students and a slightly smaller number of total international students this year.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Sep. 2025
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Cook, stirring often, until apples are slightly softened, about 8 minutes.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
One point is needed to open each door between rooms, and some rooms have multi-point penalties just for entering.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Check out our favorite Nordstrom sale picks below, with accessories starting at just $8.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
26 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Democrats countered that the GOP proposal actually is partisan, since Republicans are seeking to extend funding following the passage of a controversial spending bill that narrowly passed in July over the objections of all congressional Democrats.—
Kevin Breuninger,Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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Holladay, 42, ran against Wing in 2024, with Wing narrowly defeating the Democratic challenger by a margin of 7,541 to 7,255.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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This was hardly the end of the weekend for the Swiss timepiece company, though, which has a long history of supporting film, cultural and sporting events, including their three-year partnership with Film at Lincoln Center.—
Beth Landman,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Sep. 2025
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Instead of becoming that traveler and going barefoot on the plane, slip on these foldable slippers instead, which hardly take up any space in your suitcase and will instantly transform your flight into a first-class experience.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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