barely
Americanadverb
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only just; scarcely; no more than; almost not.
He had barely enough money to pay for the car.
-
without disguise or concealment; openly.
They gave the facts to him barely.
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scantily; meagerly; sparsely.
-
Archaic. merely.
adverb
-
only just; scarcely
barely enough for their needs
-
informal not quite; nearly
barely old enough
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scantily; poorly
barely furnished
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archaic openly
Usage
See hardly.
Etymology
Origin of barely
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English bærlīce; see bare 1, -ly
Explanation
Something barely there is hardly there at all. If there are barely any leaves on the trees, then winter is right around the corner. Barely is a word meaning hardly, nearly, scarcely, or marginally. If there is barely a dusting of snow, there is hardly any snow at all. If your team barely won a game, then they came really close to losing. If you barely missed an ice cream truck, then you missed it by seconds. This is a word for near misses and close calls.
Vocabulary lists containing barely
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 26–31
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Tears of a Tiger
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Thirteen Reasons Why
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Americans are getting more calories from their daily coffee, even though the amount they drink has barely changed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Frustratingly, by the end, we’re barely inside her head or heart at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
But early on Tuesday it emerged he had been removed by a presidential decree after barely five months in office, just days after prosecutors began investigating his predecessor.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Kenny is relishing the role, barely able to disguise his pleasure as Miranda Hart confided to him over breakfast that "you're my main faithful".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Because how does he have time for a girlfriend when he barely has time for us?
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
