barely vs hardly

Both 'barely' and 'hardly' are adverbs that are used to indicate that something is only just true or possible. They are often used interchangeably in sentences to convey a similar meaning.

Last updated: June 21, 2024 • 247 views

The word 'barely' is correct and commonly used in English to mean 'only just' or 'scarcely.'

"barely"

The adverb 'barely' is used to indicate that something is just possible or true, often implying that it is very close to not being possible or true at all.

Examples:

She barely made it to the meeting on time.
The plant barely survived the harsh winter conditions.
He could barely hear the music over the noise of the crowd.
The team barely managed to finish the project before the deadline.
I barely recognized her with her new haircut.

Show examples from the web [+]

I could barely admit it to myself.
We barely had time to rescue you.
Girls he runs barely hit puberty.
Truthfully, I barely registered his attack.
Look, Jessica could barely afford food.
I barely survived my last Chicago winter.
General, we barely got away.
We barely survived our first encounter with those things.
I can barely speak for myself.
Gus and I could barely contain our excitement.
We got him breathing, but barely.
Yet with his wounds barely sealed...
And Lowry barely remembers the assault.
My parents barely stayed two minutes.
He barely spoke the entire session.
Jack, you barely touched your three dinners.
We barely understand their form of government.
We barely made rent this month.
He could barely tell me what happened.
They range from barely competent to deeply dangerous.

Alternatives:

scarcely
only just
almost not
narrowly
just about

The word 'hardly' is correct and commonly used in English to mean 'almost not' or 'scarcely.'

"hardly"

The adverb 'hardly' is used to indicate that something is almost not true or possible, often suggesting a sense of difficulty or rarity.

Examples:

I hardly ever go to the gym.
The movie was hardly worth watching.
She could hardly contain her excitement.
He hardly knew anyone at the party.
The book was hardly what I expected.

Show examples from the web [+]

5 days ago ... Kids Definition ; 1 · in a severe or harsh manner. deal hardly with them ; 2 · with difficulty. a hardly won victory ; 3 · only just : barely, ...
Jun 12, 2024 ... hardly adverb (ONLY JUST) ... only just; almost not: can hardly I could hardly hear her at the back. The party had hardly started when she left.
Apr 16, 2016 ... The question I ask myself is; am I thinking hard, or hardly thinking? In the case of He-man, I think its clear that I am hardly thinking.

Alternatives:

scarcely
almost not
barely
rarely
seldom

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barely vs hardly

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"hardly"

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