[ADV-BRD-NEG 广义否定结构副词]刚刚;勉强;仅仅 You use barely to say that something is only just true or only just the case.
[ADV before v]
Anastasia could barely remember the ride to the hospital...
阿纳斯塔西娅几乎记不起来怎么去的医院。
It was 90 degrees and the air conditioning barely cooled the room...
当时气温达到了90度,空调也不能让房间凉快多少。
His voice was barely audible...
他的声音几乎听不见。
She was an elfin-like girl who looked barely 10 years old.
她是个鬼马小精灵,看起来也就刚满10岁。
2
[ADV-BRD-NEG 广义否定结构副词]刚刚…(就) If you say that one thing had barely happened when something else happened, you mean that the first event was followed immediately by the second.
[ADV before v]
The Boeing 767 had barely taxied to a halt before its doors were flung open...
这架波音767刚刚停住,它的舱门就弹开了。
Barely had the bulldozers started when Museum of London archaeologists swooped.
推土机刚一启动,伦敦博物馆的考古学家们就蜂拥而至了。
Oxford
bare·ly/ˈbeəli; NAmEˈberli/adverb1in a way that is just possible but only with difficulty 仅仅;刚刚;勉强可能◆The music was barely audible.音乐声勉强能听见。◆She was barely able to stand.她勉强能站立。◆We barely had time to catch the train.我们差点没赶上火车。2in a way that almost does not happen or exist 几乎不;几乎没有◆She barely acknowledged his presence.她只略微向他打了个招呼。◆There was barely any smell.几乎没有什么气味。3just; certainly not more than (a particular amount, age, time, etc.) 刚好;不超过(某个数量、年龄、时间等)◆Barely 50% of the population voted.仅有 50% 的人口投票。◆He was barely 20 years old and already running his own company.他只有 20 岁,却已经营起自己的公司了。◆They arrived barely a minute later.过了不到一分钟他们就到了。4only a very short time before 刚才;刚刚◆I had barely started speaking when he interrupted me.我刚刚开始讲话,他便打断了我。☞note at
hardly
bare·ly/ˈbeəli; NAmEˈberli/
LDC
barelybare‧ly /ˈbeəli $ ˈberli/ ●●○ adverb
Examples
Thesaurus
Collocations
1only with great difficulty or effortSYN 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.2almost notSYN hardly: She was barely aware of his presence. Joe and his brother are barely on speaking terms.3used to emphasize that something happens immediately after a previous actionSYN only just British English: Graham had barely finished his coffee when Henry returned.4used before amounts or numbers to emphasize that they are surprisingly smallSYN only: Nowadays, the village has barely 100 inhabitants.
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