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

“It barely touched him. He was not injured,” Abel said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The media outlet questioned how long the incident went unnoticed, adding that it "means their internal data protection system barely mattered."

Read more on BBC

Her new daughter, Judith, barely survives the delivery.

Read more on Salon

It was only barely refloated by rescue vessels before new ice formed, which would have trapped it over winter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Marley has complex needs and needs full daily life attention. Meadow is going to live a completely normal life and will barely need any breathing support."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• almost 
• hardly 
• scarcely