as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barely
The video shows Kobe, a golden retriever, standing on a landing with his eyes barely open, fur sticking up in all directions, and one ear crinkled—likely from lying on it.
—
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
At that time, quantum sensing was confined to the lab, and the first laser communication demonstrations in space were barely underway.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Every superhero has an origin story and Scottie Scheffler’s narrative arc can be traced back to November 15, 2020 – a series of events that barely anybody noticed at the time.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
This included Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who barely knew their father.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
At that time, quantum sensing was confined to the lab, and the first laser communication demonstrations in space were barely underway.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Every superhero has an origin story and Scottie Scheffler’s narrative arc can be traced back to November 15, 2020 – a series of events that barely anybody noticed at the time.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
This included Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who barely knew their father.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
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The momentum is good news for ERS which will allow the retailer to scale quickly in a sector that is only just beginning to be developed.—
Kevin Rozario,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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The Kansas City Current have also scored a league-leading 36 goals, eight more than the Washington Spirit and San Diego Wave, while conceding just 10.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
31 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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From there, consider the positive energy implications of the data center expansion that can hardly be limited to Kansas City.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Attitude, atmosphere, unity, quality; in all of these areas, Liverpool brought the best out of Newcastle, yet the consequences could hardly have been much worse.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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