How to use barely in a sentence. He had barely enough money to pay for the car They have barely enough (= no more than what is needed) to pay the rent this month
BARELY LEGAL SCHOOLGIRL by Sally Cox | Goodreads
She was barely (= only just) 15 when she won her first championship.
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 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.
See examples of barely used in a sentence. 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. Wordreference random house unabridged dictionary of american english © 2025 bare•ly (bâr′ lē), adv
