barely Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adverb only a very short time before
    scarce; scarcely; hardly; just.
    • 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
  2. adverb in a sparse or scanty way
    scantily.
    • a barely furnished room

WordNet

Bare"ly adverb
Definitions
  1. Without covering; nakedly.
  2. Without concealment or disguise.
  3. Merely; only.
    R. For now his son is duke. W. Barely in title, not in revenue. Shak.
  4. But just; without any excess; with nothing to spare ( of quantity, time, etc.); hence, scarcely; hardly; as, there was barely enough for all; he barely escaped.

Webster 1913