barely
Americanadverb
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only just; scarcely; no more than; almost not.
He had barely enough money to pay for the car.
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without disguise or concealment; openly.
They gave the facts to him barely.
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scantily; meagerly; sparsely.
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Archaic. merely.
adverb
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only just; scarcely
barely enough for their needs
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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; 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.
“I can barely pay to rent the house and support my kids. How can I pay for this?” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
In recent quarters, stocks have barely budged when companies beat expectations—and dropped sharply when firms fell short of them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Friends told the BBC that, as the relationship progressed, they went from seeing her daily to barely at all.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
“Wages are barely keeping up with prices, and prices are just starting to heat up,” University of Michigan economist Justin Wolfers said on X.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026
The one time I did see him— when we all went to see the trains at the arboretum right before Christmas—I was so nervous I barely said a word.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions 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.
