Barely
Barely adverb - By a very small margin.
Too
Too adverb - Beyond a normal or acceptable limit.
Usage example: ticket prices for the rock concert are simply too high
Both words in one sentence
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Instead, he stubbornly refused to do anything until he could barely breathe and it was too late for the hospital staff to do anything to save him.
Source: Creator / Jim Henson -
In chapter 3 Asuka is (pretending) lecturing him about the water being too hot, but Shinji is barely keeping track of the conversation since he is too busy staring at her bare legs.
Source: Male Gaze -
Optional Traffic Laws: While you can get penalized for mowing down too many lampposts or driving too close to any townsfolk on foot, it barely dents your wallet.
Source: Videogame / Deadly Premonition
Cite this Source
Too and Barely. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/barely/too
Barely & Too. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/barely/too>.
Too or Barely. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/barely/too.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "barely" and "too" have occurred on timeline