as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
The freshwater table below the region would probably become brackish, but that water is barely used today anyway.
—
Big Think, 17 Oct. 2025
Wolfsburg, after beating Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 last week, barely squeaked past Norwegian side Valarenga thanks to a penalty awarded in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Alabama had more loafs than drops against FSU, but just barely.
—Matt Hayes, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2025
Even with a new infusion of $15 billion of cap-and-trade funds, the California High-Speed Rail Authority barely has enough money to connect Bakersfield to Merced.
—Marc Joffe, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Big Think, 17 Oct. 2025
Wolfsburg, after beating Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 last week, barely squeaked past Norwegian side Valarenga thanks to a penalty awarded in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Alabama had more loafs than drops against FSU, but just barely.
—Matt Hayes, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2025
Even with a new infusion of $15 billion of cap-and-trade funds, the California High-Speed Rail Authority barely has enough money to connect Bakersfield to Merced.
—Marc Joffe, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
Their responses, which have been edited slightly for length, can be found below.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
14 Oct. 2025
-
All of them had very low rankings for student selectivity and were fairly low for education and career outcomes, but were slightly better ranked for the campus safety and cost and financing rankings.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
A week later, Cleveland scored just nine points and Gabriel struggled mightily in a game against Pittsburgh in which Judkins was held to three yards per carry.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Nelson put the Avs in front with his first goal of the season just 72 seconds after Makar’s tally.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
In 2018, the progressive Nebraska nonprofit leader narrowly beat a moderate former Democratic congressman in the primary for Omaha’s seat.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The Bengals got to the Super Bowl during the 2021 season, only to narrowly lose to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, the Rams' house.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Nestled in the heart of the historic Five Points neighborhood, just up Lumpkin Street from Sanford Stadium, the family-run pharmacy and old-school lunch counter has been a community staple since its doors first opened in 1961—and it’s hardly changed in the decades since.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Meanwhile, decisions on social care have been delayed for years, and tax reform has hardly figured.—
Anand Menon,
Time,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share