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
And this film has barely begun its life cycle, right?
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
The impact of the flight reductions were barely felt in Kansas City.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
By the time they were chased by regime forces, their boat was virtually dead at sea, the remaining engine barely running.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
When Democrats called a surprise redistricting session in early October, forcing her back to Richmond just as early voting ramped up, Earle-Sears barely mentioned it on the trail, beyond holding a press conference a week before the election.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
The impact of the flight reductions were barely felt in Kansas City.
—Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
By the time they were chased by regime forces, their boat was virtually dead at sea, the remaining engine barely running.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
When Democrats called a surprise redistricting session in early October, forcing her back to Richmond just as early voting ramped up, Earle-Sears barely mentioned it on the trail, beyond holding a press conference a week before the election.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
The lighthearted, yet slightly awkward moment stood out as a rarity among a season of tense uncertainty for McDaniel and the Dolphins, who sit at 3-7 on the year with increasingly long odds to make the playoffs.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
11 Nov. 2025
-
They’re considered a nut but are actually fruits, and technically behave more like tubers, offering the starchy, meaty, slightly sweet flesh almost between a sweet potato and chickpea.—
Todd Plummer,
Vogue,
11 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Leaders in Congress agreed and sent out armadas of patriot privateers to do just that, plundering British shipping around the Atlantic rim and forcing Royal Navy warships to redeploy to convoy duty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
There are also just more bears these days.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The Chicago Cubs’ right-handed starting pitcher narrowly lost to Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin.—
Sahadev Sharma,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
-
The bill narrowly passed by a 60-40 vote.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The Collectibles was hardly the first in-house vintage program.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Dillard’s and Macy’s modest comparable sales growth of about 1% last quarter is hardly the mark of a roaring retail renaissance.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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