bare·ly
 /ˈbeɚli/  adv  
  1 a : hardly or scarcely
  — used to say that something was almost not possible or almost did not happen
   I barely recognized you with your hair cut short.
   He could barely walk/read/write.
   His voice was barely audible above the sound of the river.
   The boat was barely visible off the coast.
   We barely [=almost do not] have enough money to pay the bills.
   I barely [=almost do not] have time to eat my lunch.
   He barely made his flight. [=he almost was too late for his flight]
  1 b
  — used to say that someone or something only has a specified small size, age, length, etc.
   The movie is (just) barely an hour long.
   He's barely a teenager.
   She's barely four feet tall.
   Barely 50 percent of the population voted.
  1 c
  — used to say that something reached a specifed condition or happened only a short time before
   The paint is barely dry.
   They had barely [=just] set up the tents when it started to rain.
  2 a : almost not at all
   We barely spoke the entire time we were in the car.
   I barely knew him.
  2 b : almost not
   There are barely any new features in this software.
   There is barely a difference between the two.