What is the meaning of barely?

adverb

  • Only a very short time before."they could barely hear the speaker"; "we hardly knew them"; "just missed being hit"; "had scarcely rung the bell when the door flew open"; "would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave- W. B. Yeats
  • In a sparse or scanty way.
    • usage: "a barely furnished room"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). barely. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/barely/definitions/1250773
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "barely" http://smartdefine.org/barely/definitions/1250773 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, barely, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/barely/definitions/1250773>.
MLAWordNet. "barely" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/barely/definitions/1250773>
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