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.
Louis said: "She was very pale, very cold, shivering, barely clinging on to the board."
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
“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
He clearly encouraged full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie to venture forward, often inverted, but Spurs barely created an anxious moment for Sunderland.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Programs from all kinds of events—an early Madonna concert; memorial services for Keith Haring and Abbie Hoffman—that I barely remembered attending.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
She did as her parents had instructed: she stayed in the cellar under the floorboards, still, mute, unmoving, barely breathing, until the house fell silent again.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
