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
Conor, after all, trains with a hard-hitting Cobra Kai-like dojo named Demolition with an edgy John Kreese-like sensei named O’Shea (Tim Rozon), even though O’Shea barely has a presence in comparison to Martin Kove’s Kreese in the Karate Kid movies and Cobra Kai.
—
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Each bite doesn't leave you wanting more because there's no juiciness, and a slice of American cheese is barely melted.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Savannah Chrisley said her parents had barely began to adjust to life outside prison walls.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Shares of Victoria’s Secret & Co. dropped 6.8 percent to $21 on Wednesday as investors took notice of the barely there website.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Each bite doesn't leave you wanting more because there's no juiciness, and a slice of American cheese is barely melted.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
Savannah Chrisley said her parents had barely began to adjust to life outside prison walls.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 30 May 2025
Shares of Victoria’s Secret & Co. dropped 6.8 percent to $21 on Wednesday as investors took notice of the barely there website.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
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The first memorial day wasn't called Memorial Day Decoration Day, May 30, 1868, was held at Arlington National Cemetery, which was just one of 74 national cemeteries established after the Civil War.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
27 May 2025
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On Monday night, there was no double-overtime – just one extra frame this time – and there was no goal overturned as the Frost beat the Ottawa Charge 2-1 to repeat as Walter Cup Champions, this time in front of 11,024 fans at the Xcel Energy Center.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
Adverb
-
Trump’s administration is hardly equivalent to what prevailed in the old South.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
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The legion of Taylor Swift fans is hardly limited to young female supporters.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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