Definition of "barely" []

• By a very little; hardly: could barely see the road in the fog. (adverb)
• In a scanty manner; sparsely: a barely furnished room. (adverb)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Haven't we all become narcissists to an extent that the term barely means anything?"
• "His eyes darkened, his expression barely controlled."
• "“Ready,” T echoed, the word barely more than a rush of air."