BARELY Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

barely

adverb

ˈber-lē

Definition of barely

as in slightly

by a very small margin we barely made it to the church on time

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of barely My trans voice back then was awkward and unready—barely a speech-sound, let alone an expression of agency or a part of some greater whole. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 According to Star, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex barely see each other anymore. — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 5 Oct. 2026 But even after Ryan caught up to the quarterback, Maiava barely broke his stride. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 That’s at least part of the story of why Brent crude prices have barely budged from their September high of $108. — David Faris, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely

Adverb

His dialogue in particular serves as a distinctive through line, with pages of repartee in an off-kilter, slightly formal register flowing through all of his novels.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
During heat treatment, nanoscale regions with slightly different atomic spacing begin to precipitate within the alloy.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of slightly

Adverb

That is because Lula, Brazil’s current president and campaigning candidate, had been parading the centre of Rio just a few hundred meters away from the port.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Kagan and Soai figured out, for the first time, a way to create just one of those mirror images.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of just

Adverb

The human question As far as human spaceflight goes, SpaceX has been narrowly focused on retrofitting Starship for a multibillion-dollar NASA contact to ferry government astronauts to the moon amid a space race with China.

— Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
The leftist Roberto Sánchez unexpectedly surged in the first round of presidential elections but ultimately lost narrowly in the runoff to the right-wing candidate, Keiko Fujimori.

— DAN RESTREPO, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of narrowly

Adverb

As an adolescent, Winston could hardly have imagined the cascading effect of his shrewd eye for color and clarity.

— Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026
On paper, director Tom McCarthy‘s latest film, A Statement might appear to be a dense polemic, hardly the stuff of exciting moviemaking.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of hardly

Browse Nearby Words

bare-knuckle

barely

bareness

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“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of barely

adverb

Example Sentences

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