Meaning

5 senses
  1. (not comparable)By a small margin.

    I barely completed my homework. However, I got a score of 5 for it.

    1925, Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera, silent movie ‘It is barely possible you may hear of a ghost, a Phantom of the Opera!’

    kaum

    едва́jedvá, е́ле-е́леjéle-jéle, лишьlišʹ

    ле́двеlédve, ті́лькиtílʹky, лише́lyšé

  2. (not comparable)Almost not at all.

    The plane is so far away now I can barely see it.

    Yes, it is barely visible.

    gerade noch, kaum

    е́леjéle, едва́jedvá, почти́ неpočtí ne

    almost not

  3. (not comparable)Recently, just now.

    I barely got to the store.

  4. (comparable, rare)Openly, clearly, plainly.

  5. (archaic, not comparable)Merely.

Examples

860 sentences
  1. I barely feel the pain anymore.

    Я майже не відчуваю болю.

    deIch habe kaum noch Schmerzen.

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  2. Tom barely made it in time.

    Том ледве встиг.

    deTom schaffte es gerade so eben.

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  3. Tom had barely enough to eat.

    Том ледве поїв.

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  4. Tom barely had enough to eat.

    Том ледве поїв.

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  5. Tom and Mary barely know each other.

    Том та Мері ледве знайомі.

    ruТом и Мэри едва знакомы.

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Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
by a small margin:
Русский
By meaning 2
by a small margin:
almost not at all:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
by a small margin:
almost not at all:

Origin

From Middle English baarly, bareliche, barely, barly, from Old English bærlīċe, equivalent

From Middle English baarly, bareliche, barely, barly, from Old English bærlīċe, equivalent to bare + -ly. Compare Danish bare (“only, just”), Norwegian bare (“only, just”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

more barely, most barely
Comparativemore barely Lesson
Superlativemost barely

regular

Synonyms

5 synonyms
barely, almost not or not quite:justA1only just
Close in meaning

Collocations

12 patterns
  • barely had enough
  • barely managed to
  • barely speak
  • barely had time
  • barely able to
  • was barely able
  • barely managed
  • could barely speak
  • barely escaped
  • could barely hear
  • can barely walk
  • barely made

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
barely — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto