DictionaryAI

barely

adverb
SayBAIR-leeUS/ˈbɛɹ.li/UK/ˈbɛə(ɹ).li/

5 meanings of barely

Practice

  1. 1
    adverb
    Almost not at all, or hardly.

    Like a phone battery at one percent: almost dead, but still just barely on.

    She could barely keep her eyes open during the long meeting.

    The music was barely audible over the noise of the crowd.

    Similarhardly, scarcely

    Note
  2. 2
    adverb
    By only a small amount, or only just.

    Like crossing the finish line just one inch ahead of the next person.

    He barely won the race, beating the runner-up by one step.

    Our team barely made it into the finals this year.

    Similarnarrowly, just, scarcely

    Oppositeeasily, comfortably

    Note
  3. 3
    adverb
    A short time ago, or just now.

    The movie barely started five minutes ago, so you didn't miss anything.

    My sister barely got her license last month, so she still drives slowly.

    Similarjust

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    adverbarchaic
    Only, and nothing more.
    Note
  2. 5
    adverbrare
    Openly and clearly, so everyone can see.
    Remember, I haven’t tried to embroider; I’m just laying the facts barely before you—as barely as I can—to make what you please out of.
    1918, Arthur Johnson, “The Little Family”Here, barely means openly and plainly, hiding nothing.
    The term “brief” may appear somewhat inappropriate, as the legal brief is often a bulky document, but the sense is rather that the ideas are stated barely, without elaboration or persuasive enforcement.
    1920, John Mantle Clapp, “Clear Thinking—Testing Your Thought”Here, barely means plainly, with nothing extra added.
    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of barely apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from an Old English word, made from "bare" plus the ending "-ly".