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barely

/ˈbɛɹ.li/adverb2 syllables

Barely means: only a very short time before.

Synonyms for barely5

adverb, as in only a very short time before

hardly, just, scarcely, scarce

adverb, as in almost not

hardly, scarcely, scarce

adverb, as in by a little

just

also used for barely

only just

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does barely mean?3

adverb

1

only a very short time before“we hardly knew them”

2

almost not“he hardly ever goes fishing”

3

by a little“I only just caught the bus”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with barely?4

two syllables

fairlyrarelysquarely

three syllables

unfairly
Show 40 near rhymes
anyverymanyalreadyreadyespeciallymarriedheavydirectlyhealthymaryhenryharryplentyentrytwentyfriendlyassemblyemptywednesdaysemikellysexyburiedmarrygaryscaryelementarysteadydelhijerryvaryterryperrycorrectlywealthycherrydeadlybellydairy

Barely in a sentence

  • After practicing for a year, she is barely able to play the piano.unknown
  • Barely had they entered the stadium, when the match began.jeedrek
  • In the darkness, we could just barely make out two figures.aengelberg
  • They married, even though they barely spoke each other's language.mailohilohi
  • During droughts, farmers are barely able to eke out a living.darinmex
  • Old as he was, he could barely climb the stairs.XY
  • He was in the emergency room with horrific burns, barely clinging to life.Amastan
  • We barely do any work in geography lessons, we just doss about.helloroto

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.