barely

American  

[bair-lee] / ˈbɛər li /

adverb

1. only just; scarcely; no more than; almost not.

   He had barely enough money to pay for the car.

2. without disguise or concealment; openly.

   They gave the facts to him barely.

3. scantily; meagerly; sparsely.

4. Archaic. merely.

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barely British  

/ ˈbɛəlɪ /

adverb

1. only just; scarcely

   barely enough for their needs

2. informal not quite; nearly

   barely old enough

3. scantily; poorly

   barely furnished

4. archaic openly

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Usage

See hardly.

Etymology

Origin of barely

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English bærlīce; bare ¹, -ly

Example Sentences

With those numbers in hand, now traders barely see any probability that the Fed will consider a March rate cut, as reflected in their bets in interest-rate futures markets.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I barely knew him in the first place, so it’s not much different, you know?”

From Literature

Ellis had barely spoken ten words during the journey, but the absence of his looming figure among them made their group seem very much smaller and weaker.

From Literature

In an early warning sign that the internet bubble was about to burst, the stock barely budged on the first day of trading.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the end of the month, she added, she has barely a few hundred dollars left and "no room" for savings at all.

From Barron's

Related Words

• almost
• hardly
• scarcely