as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barely
But the episode's account of the young mom's story barely scratched the surface.
—
Angela Andaloro, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
And the Lakers kept fighting, drawing enough charges, grabbing enough rebounds, scoring enough (barely) to beat Minnesota, 94-85 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Hailey Bieber just broke her streak of wearing ultra-subtle, barely there manis with a very out-of-character color choice.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 9 Apr. 2025
Zandi believes the nation ultimately will sidestep a downturn because Trump administration officials will grant countries enough exemptions and carve-outs or negotiate down the tariffs to keep the economy afloat – barely.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Angela Andaloro, People.com, 23 Apr. 2025
And the Lakers kept fighting, drawing enough charges, grabbing enough rebounds, scoring enough (barely) to beat Minnesota, 94-85 on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Hailey Bieber just broke her streak of wearing ultra-subtle, barely there manis with a very out-of-character color choice.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 9 Apr. 2025
Zandi believes the nation ultimately will sidestep a downturn because Trump administration officials will grant countries enough exemptions and carve-outs or negotiate down the tariffs to keep the economy afloat – barely.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share