Merely vs Barely - What's the difference?
merely | barely |
(obsolete) Wholly, entirely.
* 1644 , (John Milton), Aeropagitica :
(focus) Without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more.
(degree) By a small margin.
* 1748 , , Oxford University Press (1973), section 8:
* 1925 , Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera , silent movie
(degree) Almost not at all.
* {{quote-news, year=2011
, date=October 23
, author=Phil McNulty
, title=Man Utd 1 - 6 Man City
, work=BBC Sport
(archaic) merely.
* 1661 , , page 29,
As adverbs the difference between merely and barely
is that merely is wholly, entirely while barely is by a small margin.merely
English
Adverb
(-)- It is not forgot, since the acute and distinct Arminius'' was perverted meerly by the perusing of a namelesse discourse writt'n at ''Delf , which at first he took in hand to confute.
Statistics
*barely
English
Adverb
(-)- It becomes, therefore, no inconsiderable part of science barely to know the different operations of mind,
- ‘It is barely possible you may hear of a ghost, a Phantom of the Opera!’
- The plane is so far away now I can barely see it.
- Yes, it is barely visible.
citation, page= , passage=In contrast to what was to come, City were barely allowed any time to settle on the ball in the opening exchanges, with Ashley Young prominent and drawing heavy fouls from Micah Richards and James Milner.}}
- Now that fire do's not alwayes barely separate the Elementary parts, but sometimes at least alter also the Ingredients of Bodies