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

The district isn’t compact and is barely contiguous.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“We prepared all his favorite foods, all of them,” she said, barely able to keep her voice steady from crying.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Organiser Tatjana from Somerset Send Army said: "We are barely standing. I'm just about keeping my job. I'm mentally exhausted. It's very tough but I'm never going to give up fighting for my son."

Read more on BBC

But even if listener tastes don't change significantly, a glut of AI podcasts can "still impact the art form," independent podcasting where most programs are barely managing to stay afloat.

Read more on Barron's

Oracle earnings barely grew when reported last month.

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Related Words

• almost 
• hardly 
• scarcely