as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
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Recent Examples of barely
Greene made the catch, and Meadows landed on his back in a daze, barely moving with his hands pointed up and blood appearing on his face.
—
CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The providers barely make a living wage.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
She was found hours later, barely alive and with a fractured skull, having been brutally raped and left for dead in one of the park’s ravines.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
That spoiler-free setup barely scratches the surface.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barely
CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026
The providers barely make a living wage.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
She was found hours later, barely alive and with a fractured skull, having been brutally raped and left for dead in one of the park’s ravines.
—Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Apr. 2026
That spoiler-free setup barely scratches the surface.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
While the broader luxury market has cooled slightly compared to last year, these high-end pockets are playing by a different set of rules.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
11 Apr. 2026
-
If fingerprints or grease are still there, try a slightly stronger method, but stay gentle.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Worse still, Britain's kerosene stockpiles are very low — just one month's worth of supplies — compared with most of the rest of the world.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Rea took the bulk of the innings following lefty Riley Martin’s perfect opening frame that required just six pitches to retire the top of the Phillies’ order.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Jokic secured his eligibility for the accolade by playing his 65th game on the last night of the regular season, narrowly meeting the NBA’s quota to appear on awards ballots.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
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When officers attempted to stop the vehicles, both sped off, running a red light at Hurffville-Grenloch and Woodbury-Turnersville roads and narrowly avoiding a crash with a tractor-trailer.—
Frederick Sutton Sinclair,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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What should be making this awkward for the Lincoln Club is Jung’s championing higher taxes in his city, which is hardly a conservative or business-friendly approach to government.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Josh’s presence or absence hardly matters.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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