as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barely
Nationally there were 46,066 opioid overdose deaths in the year ending with October, barely more than half the peak of 86,075 in June 2023 and the lowest since April 2017.
—
Kaitlin Coward, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Reads while sitting in front of a green screen barely count.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
The Wolfpack also made the NCAA Tournament, barely, but lost in the First Four to finish 20-14.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
But overall, fatalities and injuries have remained minimal and the destruction to civilian infrastructure has been barely noticeable.
—Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barely
Kaitlin Coward, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Reads while sitting in front of a green screen barely count.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
The Wolfpack also made the NCAA Tournament, barely, but lost in the First Four to finish 20-14.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 27 Mar. 2026
But overall, fatalities and injuries have remained minimal and the destruction to civilian infrastructure has been barely noticeable.
—Faisal J. Abbas, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
And by the time the principal and interest are fully paid off, in 2048, public payments for the team will total slightly less than one and a half billion dollars.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Gumbs projects slightly better than Sapp, largely due to his lean 6-foot-4 frame that fits the mold of mutant edge rushers the NFL is currently searching for.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
In Tropea, about an hour-and-a-half drive to the west, stay just outside the historic center for a quieter experience that doesn't sacrifice access.—
Jenna Curcio,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
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Miami-Dade cold case detectives say that this is just one of the cold cases they are dedicated to solving.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Latz narrowly lost the battle to be the fifth starter in the rotation to right-hander Kumar Rocker in spring training.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Long shot Wayne’s Law led early, only to be overtaken in the final turn by 6-5 favorite Nearly, who was passed in mid-stretch by The Puma, who narrowly succumbed to Commandment at the wire.—
Clark Spencer,
Miami Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
And best of all, in my opinion, the old Writers Bar, which was barely a bar at all and hardly worth writing about, has been shifted to the front of the main building, greatly expanded and transformed into one of the most charming bars in a city that is full of charming bars.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Mar. 2026
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To be clear, Peacock (which, like Sky, is part of Comcast) hardly ignored SNL UK prior to its launch.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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