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

There is a simple explanation: We barely know him.

From The Wall Street Journal

All this feels like it is barely scratching the surface of what is now possible.

From The Wall Street Journal

We've barely recovered from season four of Bridgerton, but now details of series five have been announced - with a new romance to set hearts aflutter.

From BBC

She spoke of pastry shops selling sweets so enticing that barely any survived the trip home.

From Los Angeles Times

Frederiksen had barely called the election at the end of February when Lund Poulsen, 49, threw his hat into the ring.

From Barron's

Related Words

• almost
• hardly
• scarcely