How to Use barely in a Sentence

barely

adverb

• We barely spoke the entire time we were in the car.
• There is barely a difference between the two.
• There are barely any new features in this software.
• By contrast, the three migrant women killed in Evros barely made the news.
  — Longreads, 12 Dec. 2022
• The barely-there dress would have been eye-catching on its own, but Ora upped the ante with a full-throttle makeup look.
  — Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 6 Dec. 2022
• At one point our Waymo almost loses us by accelerating through a yellow light; Gabe floors it and barely gets in under the wire.
  — Wired Staff, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2024
• It’s soon followed by a pack of dogs, chasing the bunny and barely registering the meowing bystander’s existence.
  — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024
• After three decades as a very private work in progress, this barely seen wonder of the contemporary art world opened to the public this past May for the first time (by appointment only).
  — Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2022
• By contrast, in the debate-free tests, the nonhuman judges answered correctly only 54% of the time, a result just barely better than flipping a coin.
  — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
• Instead, the clock continued to run, and on third down, the Colts hastily called a Jonathan Taylor run up the middle, which barely got back to the line of scrimmage.
  — Michael Arinze, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2022
• Waist-high walls adorn new riverfront promenades under construction on the island and the peninsula, which both sit, precariously, just barely above sea level.
  — Nick Roll, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Dec. 2022
• The musical readings, likewise, synthesized apparent opposites: In one sense, Alard was barely there.
  — Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2022
• The shorter sections at the back just barely grazed the nape of her neck.
  — Gabi Thorne, Allure, 13 June 2023
• Nichols sits in the dark against the car, barely moving.
  — CBS News, 30 Jan. 2023
• In fact, that setup turned out to be barely a third of the movie.
  — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2024
• This whole idea that teenagers barely work now is crazy to me.
  — Jamie Ludwig, Spin, 29 Sep. 2023
• By this point, the two of us were barely on speaking terms.
  — Lachlan Cartwright, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
• Since the midterm election, Frost had barely had the time to process his new life.
  — Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
• And now there's barely anything to talk and laugh about.
  — Phil Helsel, NBC News, 24 Sep. 2024
• Once again, one of the best parts of the skit is how Gosling can barely keep it together by the end.
  — Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
• Trull’s head barely clears the rafters once he’s settled.
  — oregonlive, 12 June 2023
• The former wife speaks so faintly that the new wife can barely hear.
  — Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
• The wobbly craft that the Wright Brothers built in 1903 flew, but barely.
  — Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2023
• This year, the day is underscored by the dour fact that the pay gap has barely budged in two decades.
  — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2023
• That could lead to ice cream that’s gummy or fluffy, and barely tastes like dairy.
  — Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 7 July 2023
• If you're drawn to barely there perfumes, 11 11 should be on your radar.
  — Lindy Segal, Harper's BAZAAR, 18 Jan. 2023
• She was found barely alive in the bushes along a fishing trail in Puna.
  — Phil Helsel, NBC News, 30 July 2024
• Blue Dream’s harvest time is barely three months at nine to 10 weeks.
  — Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024
• Robert Miller was barely alive when medics rushed him to the hospital.
  — Nichole Manna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2024
• The ceramics and glassware that line the shelves had barely moved.
  — Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2022

Last Updated: 10 Dec 2024