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View synonyms for barely

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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Usage Note

See hardly.
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Usage

See hardly
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Word History and Origins

Origin of barely1

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

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