How to use barely in a sentence. Something barely there is hardly there at all They have barely enough (= no more than what is needed) to pay the rent this month
little selfie in glasses : barelylegalteens
She was barely (= only just) 15 when she won her first championship.
See examples of barely used in a sentence.
You use barely to say that something is only just true or only just the case Anastasia could barely remember the ride to the hospital It was 90 degrees and the air conditioning barely cooled the room His voice was barely audible.
It has a totally different meaning from bare You use barely to say that something is only just true or possible For example, if you can barely do something, you can only just do it If something is barely noticeable, you can only just notice it
It was so dark we could barely see
His whisper was barely audible Wordreference random house unabridged dictionary of american english © 2025 bare•ly (bâr′ lē), adv He had barely enough money to pay for the car They gave the facts to him barely
The word barely is an adverb that conveys a sense of minimalism or insignificance in degree, amount, or presence Its origins and usage encompass a variety of linguistic and contextual dimensions worth exploring. Barely is the correct word when you want to express that something is just sufficient or only just true For example, “he barely passed the exam,” means he just managed to pass it with the minimum required score.
Barely (comparative more barely, superlative most barely) (not comparable, degree) by a small margin.
Quotations i barely completed my homework However, i got a score of 5 for it.
