barely going to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "barely going to" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express a minimal or insufficient level of intention or commitment to do something in the near future. Example: "I'm barely going to make it to the meeting on time because of the traffic."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

11 human-written examples

Sometimes I could get away with barely going to classes.

Harvard University

He was barely going to school.

The New York Times - Sports

All of this for something that's barely going to impact our taxes".

The New York Times

"I think consumers are barely going to notice the change," said Laurence Kirshbaum, chairman of trade publishing at Time Warner.

The New York Times

"You may think you want to stay in touch now, but trust me, once you have your baby, you're barely going to remember her name.

The New York Times - Magazine

Your kid can go mad with the markers and pens, it's barely going to make a stain on your lovely plastic money and you can happily exchange your cash for goods without worrying if it was used in a drug deal.

The Guardian - Business

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

49 human-written examples

I could barely go to work and not cry.

Stanford University

She barely went to Michigan and only began advertising there late.

The Washington Post

On many nights, Mr. Davidoff recalled, "we barely went to sleep at night, much less went back to a house".

The New York Times

Although Vlautin was "so shy that I could barely go to school", he was a diligent student who never seemed to be paid back with good grades.

The Guardian - Books

He went on to say that his brother never returned to Syria; his father barely went to the mosque, much less to Mecca; and there was never a crime against the family.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "barely going to" to express a low probability or minimal intention, emphasizing the narrow margin by which an event might occur.

Common error

Avoid using "barely going to" when the situation is definitively not going to happen. Use stronger negations like "definitely not going to" or "certainly won't" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "barely going to" functions as a modifier expressing minimal probability or intention about something to happen soon. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

20%

Science

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "barely going to" is a grammatically sound and commonly used expression to indicate a low likelihood or minimal intention regarding a future event. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it’s a valid phrase, with usage spanning across news, academic, and general web content. While it's versatile, ensure you use it when you truly want to convey a sense of minimal probability. Alternatives like "hardly going to" or "almost going to" can serve as synonyms depending on the context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hardly going to

Similar to "barely", suggesting a very low probability or intention.

nearly going to

Indicates something is close to happening, so almost not happening.

almost going to

Indicates a situation where something is close to happening but hasn't actually occurred yet.

practically going to

Indicates that something is very close to not happening.

just going to

Indicates a minimal or limited action or intention.

slightly going to

Emphasizes the small degree or extent to which something is going to happen.

virtually going to

Highlights that something's probability is so close to zero that you can imagine it as 0.

roughly going to

Indicates an approximate or inexact level of commitment.

little going to

Emphasizes the small degree or extent to which something is going to happen.

rarely going to

Highlights how infrequent the action is.

FAQs

How can I use "barely going to" in a sentence?

"Barely going to" indicates a minimal likelihood or intention. For example, "I'm "barely going to" make it on time," suggests a high probability of being late.

What's a similar phrase to "barely going to"?

Alternatives include "hardly going to", "almost going to", or "scarcely going to", all expressing a similar sense of minimal likelihood or intention.

Is it more formal to say "barely going to" or "hardly going to"?

Both "barely going to" and "hardly going to" are generally considered neutral in formality and can be used in most contexts.

Can "barely going to" be used in past tense?

Yes, you can adapt the tense. For instance, "I was "barely going to" attend" indicates a minimal intention in the past.