are barely acceptable

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "are barely acceptable" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that meets minimal standards or is only just satisfactory. Example: "The results of the project are barely acceptable, and we need to make significant improvements before the final submission."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Internet telephone calls are barely acceptable, only work if you're calling someone with a compatible phone, and have a very long way to go before they pose any threat to the traditional circuit-switched phone network we've come to love over the past 80 years.

Forbes

Even for those who can attend school, the learning conditions are barely acceptable.

Unicef

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

56 human-written examples

A large proportion of the others would be barely acceptable at the community college level in America.

The Economist

His first answer has already been rejected on the grounds that alleviating poverty and ending global injustice is barely acceptable for a wannabe Miss World, let alone the man responsible for one of the world's biggest money-spinning inventions.

The Guardian - Tech

It's barely acceptable to pay for hot water.

Lingua Sinica

Despite the fact that provincial, municipal, and county governments spent a large amount of fiscal funds, the standards of compensation were barely acceptable to coal mine owners.

The Journal of Chinese Sociology

Given that, "I'll just give you the gist of it," is the sort of thing that's barely acceptable to say to your boss if you haven't read an email properly, the idea that the government thinks this is an ok way to refer to court mandated legal documents is a tiny bit terrifying.

Vice

The abilities of UK and PLAB graduates form distributions, with some graduates being excellent and others being barely acceptable.

British Medical Journal

In addition, among the people believing that the NCMS was barely acceptable or even worse, 82.4% of them held that the healthcare service fees were fairly high.> -wrap-foot> X = 16.2; n = 10 15.99 < P < 18.31 the high medical service is associated with the effect of NCMS (P = 0.9).

BMC Health Services Research

That argument is barely more acceptable to Mr Kerry than it is to Mr Bush.

The Economist

It's barely an acceptable behavior at premieres and in day to day life, it's completely unacceptable.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "are barely acceptable" when you want to express that something only just meets the required standards, implying there is room for improvement. For example, "The team's performance this quarter "are barely acceptable", and we need to implement new strategies to enhance productivity."

Common error

Avoid using "are barely acceptable" when the subject is clearly unacceptable. This phrase implies a minimal level of adequacy, so ensure the subject meets at least the lowest standards before using it. For example, don't say "His blatant disregard for safety regulations "are barely acceptable""; instead, state it is unacceptable.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "are barely acceptable" functions as a descriptive adjective phrase. It qualifies a noun by indicating that the noun's state, quality, or performance is at the lowest level of acceptability. Ludwig confirms its use across various contexts.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

16%

Less common in

Wiki

8%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "are barely acceptable" is a versatile adjective phrase used to describe something that meets the minimum required standard, implying a need for improvement. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and appears in a variety of contexts, including news, science, and business. While alternatives like "are marginally acceptable" and "are minimally acceptable" offer similar meanings, it's important to ensure the phrase aligns with the subject's actual level of adequacy. It is crucial to avoid overstating acceptability when the subject clearly fails to meet even the lowest standards. In summary, use "are barely acceptable" to critically assess a situation, conveying that the minimum requirements are met but there's a strong suggestion for enhancement.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

are marginally acceptable

Replaces 'barely' with 'marginally', emphasizing a slight degree of acceptability.

are minimally acceptable

Substitutes 'barely' with 'minimally', highlighting that something meets the lowest acceptable standard.

are scarcely acceptable

Uses 'scarcely' instead of 'barely', conveying a sense of difficulty in reaching an acceptable level.

are hardly acceptable

Replaces 'barely' with 'hardly', indicating a very low degree of acceptability.

are just about acceptable

Adds 'just about' to 'acceptable', softening the statement but indicating minimal adequacy.

are almost acceptable

Suggests something is close to being acceptable, but not quite there.

are nearly acceptable

Similar to 'almost acceptable', indicating a close proximity to meeting the standard.

are somewhat acceptable

Indicates a moderate level of acceptability, higher than 'barely'.

are tolerably acceptable

Suggests something is acceptable to a degree that one can tolerate it, but not enthusiastically.

are passably acceptable

Indicates something meets the minimum requirements to pass or be deemed acceptable.

FAQs

When is it appropriate to use "are barely acceptable"?

Use "are barely acceptable" when something meets the minimum requirements but is not ideal. For example, "The exam results "are barely acceptable", meaning students passed but need improvement".

What are some alternatives to "are barely acceptable"?

Alternatives include "are marginally acceptable", "are minimally acceptable", or "are scarcely acceptable". The choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

How does "are barely acceptable" differ from "are unacceptable"?

"Are barely acceptable" implies that something meets the lowest possible standard, whereas "are unacceptable" means it does not meet any standard at all. The former suggests minimal adequacy, while the latter indicates complete inadequacy.

Is it correct to use "is barely acceptable" instead of "are barely acceptable"?

The correct form depends on the subject's plurality. Use "is barely acceptable" with singular subjects (e.g., "The quality is barely acceptable"), and "are barely acceptable" with plural subjects (e.g., "The conditions "are barely acceptable"").