barely vs seldom

Both 'barely' and 'seldom' are adverbs used to indicate infrequency or rarity. They can be used interchangeably in some contexts, but 'barely' often implies a closer margin to not happening at all, while 'seldom' simply means not happening often. The choice between them depends on the degree of rarity you want to convey.

Last updated: March 22, 2024 • 858 views

The word 'barely' is a correct adverb used to indicate that something happens only just or almost not at all.

"barely"

It is used to convey that something happens in a very limited or minimal way, close to not happening at all.

Examples:

She barely made it to the meeting on time.
He could barely hear the music over the noise.
The plant barely survived the harsh winter conditions.
I barely recognized her after all these years.
The team barely managed to score a goal in the last minute.

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:

hardly
scarcely
only just
almost not at all
narrowly

The word 'seldom' is a correct adverb used to indicate that something happens rarely or infrequently.

"seldom"

It is used to convey that something happens not often or only occasionally.

Examples:

She seldom goes to the gym.
He seldom eats fast food.
Rain seldom falls in the desert.
They seldom visit their relatives.
I seldom have time to relax.

Show examples from the web [+]

These confrontations seldom result in serious violence.
Apologies the demands of a Lanista seldom offer respite.
The girls who cross the pass seldom return.
Logic offers a serenity humans seldom experience.
A force that politicians seldom care to mention.
Tourists seldom come to such distant place.
Henceforth Pan was seldom seen without it.
Moore seldom appeared throughout late 2003 and early 2004.
Unlike most Italian conductors, he seldom conducted opera.
But now children seldom assume their parents' occupation.
Therefore, acupuncture itself seldom makes the condition worse.
We conservatives seldom vote against conciliations.
Calling is seldom the best action.
Man seldom deals with absolute, demonstrative truths.
He had media exposure that third-party candidates seldom receive.
Useful applications seldom use such methods for downloading drivers.
He seldom paused to correct misunderstandings or to resent misrepresentation.
No wonder that tourists seldom leave disappointed.
Earthquakes cause an enormous damage, seldom have long-term consequences.

Alternatives:

rarely
infrequently
hardly ever
not often
occasionally

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barely vs seldom

"barely"

"seldom"

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