as in slightly
by a very small margin
we barely made it to the church on time
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barely
Last season, the Rangers barely wrangled a 37-33 victory.
—
Chloe Soule’, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
There’s barely a moment to breathe between musical numbers.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
Doctors told her the knife barely missed her major organs.
—Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
The NewKids, on the other hand, barely needed us.
—Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Chloe Soule’, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
There’s barely a moment to breathe between musical numbers.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Sep. 2025
Doctors told her the knife barely missed her major organs.
—Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
The NewKids, on the other hand, barely needed us.
—Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for barely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barely
Adverb
-
Use a silicone broom, which is more effective at picking up pet hair than traditional corn brooms that tend to trap hair in the slightly sticky bristles.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The delicate curtain slightly obscures a digital color photograph of a drawing by a museum employee reimagining Picasso’s painting.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at just 18, with seed money from conservative donors eager to expand the party’s reach to younger audiences.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Doctors struggle to access complete patient histories, researchers spend months cleaning inconsistent datasets, and hospitals face spiraling costs just to keep outdated systems running.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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That November race is likely to draw plenty of attention, with Republicans narrowly holding the seat by less than 400 votes in each of the last two elections.—
Mary Ramsey
Updated September 9,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
In America’s cultural imagination of the 1970s and 1980s, success for men and women was narrowly scripted.—
Sophia A. Nelson,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
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That the Chiefs could hardly bother Herbert without blitzing — and often not even then — was the most alarming development of the night for KC.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Reese is hardly the first player to bemoan the state of the Chicago Sky.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barely. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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