bare ‧ ly /ˈbeəli $ ˈberli/ BrE AmE adverb
1 . only with great difficulty or effort SYN only just :
She was very old and barely able to walk.
Mary had barely enough money to live on.
barely audible/perceptible/visible/discernible etc
His voice was barely audible.
She could barely understand English.
2 . almost not SYN hardly :
She was barely aware of his presence.
Joe and his brother are barely on speaking terms.
3 . used to emphasize that something happens immediately after a previous action SYN only just British English :
Graham had barely finished his coffee when Henry returned.
4 . used before amounts or numbers to emphasize that they are surprisingly small SYN only :
Nowadays, the village has barely 100 inhabitants.