as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
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Recent Examples of barely
At the end of the tail, barely above our horizon, is the celestial scorpion’s stinger, made of two moderately bright stars very close together.
—
Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
The Rhode founder donned some small black oval sunglasses, and a pair of apple green, barely there sandals with red detailing on the toe post.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 July 2025
Others hesitate or barely touch their trays—a few flat-out refuse to eat.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
The loss of Elio’s parents is barely explained; his relationship with his aunt, Olga (Zoe Saldaña), is pleasant but lightweight.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 27 July 2025
The Rhode founder donned some small black oval sunglasses, and a pair of apple green, barely there sandals with red detailing on the toe post.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 July 2025
Others hesitate or barely touch their trays—a few flat-out refuse to eat.
—Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
The loss of Elio’s parents is barely explained; his relationship with his aunt, Olga (Zoe Saldaña), is pleasant but lightweight.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
After over 30 years in the spotlight, Whitley’s creative momentum is stronger than ever, and she’s just getting started.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
26 July 2025
-
Musk has slowly moved his businesses away from California, opening a headquarters for Tesla just outside of Austin and establishing offices for SpaceX, The Boring Co., Neuralink and X in Texas.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
26 July 2025
Adverb
-
Since the pandemic, children walking into a video call is hardly newsworthy anymore.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
-
Marvel has made clear that the studio is preparing the Fantastic Four’s most iconic nemesis, Dr. Doom, for a forthcoming film, but the planet-obliterating combo of Galactus and Silver Surfer hardly feel like second best.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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