barely failed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "barely failed" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where someone or something almost succeeded but did not quite make it. Example: "She studied hard for the exam but barely failed, missing the passing mark by just one point."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

9 human-written examples

Though the amendment barely failed, the vote signaled a clear message to the NSA: we do not trust you.

The Guardian - Opinion

Denise Lewis, Grand Panjandrum of Corporate Affairs, assured us that Orange has always regarded their prize as much more than a mere marketing opportunity (although it comes in handy, she barely failed to add).

The Guardian - Books

This means pharma can rescue drugs that just barely failed in Phase III.

TechCrunch

The analysis shows that students who barely failed the exam were more likely to exit than those who barely passed, despite being offered retest opportunities.

Economics of Education Review

That amendment, which barely failed in a 205-217 vote, would have effectively rescinded the government's authority to operate phone metadata gathering schemes in the United States.

Vice

The overall negative correlation (r = − 0.425) across the entire population, however, barely failed to reach significance (F (1, 15) = 3.32; p = 0.09).

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

51 human-written examples

Silver's unaccelerated model, and mine, both estimate that a referendum to pass same-sex marriage would barely fail; but in 2013, it would barely pass.

The Guardian - Opinion

However, there are ways of quantifying the degree of mixing that lead to the notion of "weak mixing", which describes a system that just barely fails to be truly mixing.

The Guardian

It is also suggested by the failure of the composite profile to bracket 0.5 at the refined threshold, though it only barely fails to do so.

Journal of Cheminformatics

In fact, the study of the periodic Benjamin equation has been based on iteration in the space (X^{s}), but this space barely fails to control the (L^{infty}_{t}H^{s}_{x}) norm.

Boundary Value Problems

Referring to the number of times the incident was replayed on the world feed, Ferrari team principal Jean Todt stated that "even if you didn't want to watch it, you could barely fail to".

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "barely failed", ensure the context clearly indicates what the subject almost succeeded in doing. For example, "The bill barely failed to pass the senate."

Common error

Avoid using "barely failed" when the subject experienced a significant setback. It suggests a near miss, not a complete disaster. Consider alternatives like "completely failed" or "utterly unsuccessful" if the failure was substantial.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "barely failed" functions as a verb phrase, typically used as a predicate to describe an action that almost succeeded. According to Ludwig AI, it is a correct and usable phrase.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

43%

Wiki

7%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "barely failed" is a grammatically sound and contextually versatile expression used to indicate a near miss. As validated by Ludwig AI, it effectively communicates that an attempt almost succeeded, with only a small margin separating success and failure. It is frequently seen in contexts like News & Media and Science. Alternatives such as "narrowly missed" or "almost failed" offer similar meanings, while variations in usage depend on the desired emphasis. When using "barely failed", clarity is key to ensure the context properly indicates the subject almost attained success.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

narrowly missed

Emphasizes the closeness of the success, highlighting the narrow margin.

almost failed

Directly indicates the proximity to failure, simpler and more straightforward.

came close to failing

Describes the situation in a more verbose manner, adding slight emphasis.

scarcely succeeded

Highlights the difficulty of achieving success, implying a struggle.

just fell short

Focuses on the lack of full success, emphasizing the unreached goal.

marginally unsuccessful

A more formal way of expressing a slight failure, suitable for professional contexts.

nearly didn't pass

Highlights the possibility of failure more directly, related to passing an exam or test.

missed by a hair

An idiomatic expression emphasizing the very small margin of failure.

barely scraped through

Focuses on how hard the person or thing had to work to almost pass.

virtually failed

Indicates a failure that was, for all intents and purposes, complete.

FAQs

How can I use "barely failed" in a sentence?

Use "barely failed" to describe situations where someone or something almost succeeded but ultimately did not. For example, "The team "barely failed" to qualify for the finals."

What can I say instead of "barely failed"?

You can use alternatives like "narrowly missed", "almost failed", or "just fell short" depending on the context.

Is it better to say "barely failed" or "almost succeeded"?

Both phrases are correct, but ""barely failed"" emphasizes the failure, while "almost succeeded" highlights the near success. The choice depends on the desired emphasis.

What's the difference between "barely failed" and "slightly failed"?

"Barely failed" implies a very close margin of failure, whereas "slightly failed" simply suggests a minor degree of failure without necessarily being close.