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
The Legion of Super-Pets was even co-created by Jerry Siegel, the Superman co-creator who was barely making ends meet with his DC Comics work in the ’60s.
—
Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 11 July 2025
It is finished out of left field with barely more than a teaspoon of sweet vermouth, offering just enough plush fruit and herbaceousness to keep it complex and interesting while keeping the overall sweetness very low.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
The irony was unmistakable: a man who barely spoke in interviews, who shrank from the stage, whose music sidestepped every commercial instinct of his time, was now the soundtrack to a car commercial.
—arkansasonline.com, 5 July 2025
The Dow Jones industrial average barely cracked 1,000 that year, versus its current level of 44,000-plus.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 11 July 2025
It is finished out of left field with barely more than a teaspoon of sweet vermouth, offering just enough plush fruit and herbaceousness to keep it complex and interesting while keeping the overall sweetness very low.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
The irony was unmistakable: a man who barely spoke in interviews, who shrank from the stage, whose music sidestepped every commercial instinct of his time, was now the soundtrack to a car commercial.
—arkansasonline.com, 5 July 2025
The Dow Jones industrial average barely cracked 1,000 that year, versus its current level of 44,000-plus.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
As a result, their bonus pool is just $6.57 million, third lowest among MLB teams.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
Mason is a stand-up comic Pryor's youngest son is a stand-up comic, just like his dad.—
Julie Tremaine,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Adverb
-
The controversial businessman and world’s richest person is hardly known to be hands-off.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
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But rubber tires are hardly the only items recycled into products for our homes.—
LEW SICHELMAN,
Miami Herald,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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