barely

[bair-lee]

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.

barely

/ 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

Usage

See hardly.

Word History and Origins

Origin of barely¹

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

Example Sentences

Their son Merritt added that he could barely tell which lot was theirs because they all looked the same.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"At that stage she was barely sitting up by herself and really Buddy Bear has benefited us so much," Ms Frazer told BBC News NI.

Read more on BBC

LONDON—Jamie Dimon, barely done with one mammoth building project on New York’s Park Avenue, is embarking on another this side of the pond.

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It made barely a sound amid the fireworks that surrounded it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For decades, he barely looked at coal stocks, friends say, but in 2023, these companies grabbed his attention.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• almost 
• hardly 
• scarcely