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
Left-hander David Peterson, who, aside from Kodai Senga, has been the most reliable starting pitcher on the staff, barely made it through four innings Sunday.
—
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
The bumpiness is barely noticeable after only a few applications.
—Talia Abbas, Glamour, 23 June 2025
Guys like Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore barely tasted the floor this season.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Given current market share is barely 20% in Europe, some major humble-pie eating is on the cards.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
The bumpiness is barely noticeable after only a few applications.
—Talia Abbas, Glamour, 23 June 2025
Guys like Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore barely tasted the floor this season.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Given current market share is barely 20% in Europe, some major humble-pie eating is on the cards.
—Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
Gener struck out 75 batters in 58 innings while walking just 14.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
20 June 2025
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Tyrone Taylor hit a one-out single off Strider and stole second, and with two outs, Mauricio sent him home for just his third RBI of the season.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
20 June 2025
Adverb
-
Wales will hardly roll over in the middle game, either.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
-
Walmart is truly an omnichannel retailer and Amazon can hardly say the same.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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