BARELY Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

barely

adverb

ˈber-lē

Definition of barely

as in slightly

by a very small margin we barely made it to the church on time

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 In fact, New England barely sniffed 40 yards of total offense in the quarter. — Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026 Then barely two weeks before the midterms, the BSO channeled Boston’s revolutionary spirit with explosive AI. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026 In fact, there is barely any voter fraud at all in the USA, despite what MAGA say. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026 Alzheimer’s disease, however, was named barely a century ago. — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely

Adverb

Stocks linked to the artificial intelligence build-out declined slightly on Wednesday in the wake of the election, but the selling intensified on Thursday as investors worried Democratic wins could have a real impact on data center construction.

— Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
The screen now has a 3,024-by-1,986-pixel resolution, which is slightly higher vertically than before.

— Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of slightly

Adverb

The measure that would allow the City Council to meet just once a week was included in Charter Amendment EE.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Allen received just over 19%, but was endorsed by Republican Stacy Korsgaden, who finished in third, and Patrick Wolff, a Democrat who finished in fifth, before Tuesday night.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of just

Adverb

Voters narrowly backed a change to Miami-Dade’s charter that could clear the way for county commissioners to receive higher salaries, ending the county’s history of potential pay raises failing at the ballot box.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was narrowly ahead of City Councilmember Nithya Raman, her onetime political ally, in the race to lead the nation’s second-largest city, according to early returns Tuesday.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of narrowly

Adverb

The 21-year-old from Dallas, who soared to gold in the all-around on Friday after recovering from injuries that wrecked her Olympic hopes in 2021 and again in 2024, hardly looked tired in what has quickly become the meet of her life.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
If the solution isn’t to migrate 70% of the web to a new programming language, then fixing its underlying problems – and all the other software problems in the world – would hardly be an easy fix, either.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of hardly

Browse Nearby Words

bare-knuckle

barely

bareness

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“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of barely

adverb

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