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Added 9 October 2026

barely

/ˈbɛə.li/ adverb

In Latin: vix Wiktionary

adverb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about barely at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

By a small margin.
I barely completed my homework. However, I got a score of 5 for it.
Almost not at all.
The plane is so far away now I can barely see it.
Recently, just now.
I barely got to the store.

Origin

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

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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