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ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Barely

/ˈbɛə(ɹ).li/ · adverb

Meaning

(not comparable, degree) By a small margin..

Definitions by Sense

  1. (not comparable, degree) By a small margin.
  2. (not comparable, degree) Almost not at all.
  3. (Chicano, not comparable) Recently, just now.
  4. (not comparable, archaic) Merely.
  5. (comparable, rare) Openly, clearly, plainly.

Example Sentences

I barely completed my homework. However, I got a score of 5 for it.
1925, Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera, silent movie ‘It is barely possible you may hear of a ghost, a Phantom of the Opera!’
It becomes, therefore, no inconsiderable part of science barely to know the different operations of mind,
As our train to Paris dashed through the labyrynthine flyovers at Porchefontaine, barely a mile from Versailles, the 75 m.p.h. limit was already almost attained.
The plane is so far away now I can barely see it.
Yes, it is barely visible.
In contrast to what was to come, City were barely allowed any time to settle on the ball in the opening exchanges, with Ashley Young prominent and drawing heavy fouls from Micah Richards and James Milner.
I barely got to the store.

Synonyms for barely

Antonyms for barely

Related Words

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does barely mean?

Barely means (not comparable, degree) By a small margin..

What is a synonym for barely?

Common synonyms include hardly, scarcely, just, only just.

What is the opposite of barely?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use barely in a sentence?

I barely completed my homework. However, I got a score of 5 for it.

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.