“Coffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world.” – Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States
BARELY
barely, hardly, just, scarcely, scarce
(adverb) only a very short time before; “we hardly knew them”; “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
barely, just
(adverb) by a little; “I only just caught the bus”; “he finished the marathon in just under 3 hours”; “it was barely 5 a.m.”; “the network has barely 5 percent of viewers”; “the batter just missed being hit”
hardly, scarcely, barely, scarce
(adverb) almost not; “he hardly ever goes fishing”; “he was scarce sixteen years old”; “they scarcely ever used the emergency generator”; “I can hardly hear what she is saying”; “she barely seemed to notice him”; “we were so far back in the theater, we could barely read the subtitles”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adverb
barely (not comparable)
(degree) By a small margin.
(degree) Almost not at all.
(archaic) merely.
Usage notes
It is grammatically a negative word. It therefore collocates with ever rather than never.
• Compare
You can find barely ever used items on eBay.
with
You can almost never find used items on eBay.
Synonyms
• (degree): hardly, scarcely
• (barely, almost not or not quite): hardly, just, only just, scarcely
Anagrams
• Barley, Braley, barley, bearly, bleary
Source: Wiktionary
Bare"ly, adv.
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.
BARE
Bare, a. Etym: [OE. bar, bare, AS. bær; akin to D. & G. baar, OHG. par, Icel. berr, Sw. & Dan. bar, OSlav. bos barefoot, Lith. basas; cf. Skr. bhas to shine
1. Without clothes or covering; stripped of the usual covering; naked; as, his body is bare; the trees are bare.
2. With head uncovered; bareheaded. When once thy foot enters the church, be bare. Herbert.
3. Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed. Bare in thy guilt, how foul must thou appear ! Milton.
4. Plain; simple; unadorned; without polish; bald; meager. "Uttering bare truth." Shak.
5. Destitute; indigent; empty; unfurnished or scantily furnished; -- used with of (rarely with in) before the thing wanting or taken away; as, a room bare of furniture. "A bare treasury." Dryden.
6. Threadbare; much worn. It appears by their bare liveries that they live by your bare words. Shak.
7. Mere; alone; unaccompanied by anything else; as, a bare majority. "The bare necessaries of life." Addison. Nor are men prevailed upon by bare of naked truth. South. Under bare poles (Naut.), having no sail set.
Bare, n.
1. Surface; body; substance. [R.] You have touched the very bare of naked truth. Marston.
2. (Arch.)
Definition: That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal plate, which is exposed to the weather.
Bare, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bared(p. pr. & vb. n. Baring.] Etym: [AS. barian. See Bare, a.]
Definition: To strip off the covering of; to make bare; as, to bare the breast.
Bare.
Definition: Bore; the old preterit of Bear, v.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
23 December 2024
QUANDONG
(noun) Australian tree having hard white timber and glossy green leaves with white flowers followed by one-seeded glossy blue fruit
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