has barely completed

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "has barely completed" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that someone has just finished a task or activity, but only to a minimal extent or with little effort. Example: "She has barely completed her homework, leaving many questions unanswered."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

After a sensational first full season under center in 2011, Stafford has barely completed 60 percent of his passes and has thrown a somewhat modest 12 picks, though seemingly all of them costly.

The New York Times

But Londoner Bill Colley is one of the few people in the world still proudly building wooden racing boats for commercial sale - although he has barely completed a handful of orders in the last decade because of the dwindling amount of trade.

BBC

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

That the would-be passengers had barely completed 90 minutes of martial arts training didn't really matter.

The New York Times

Israeli helicopters had barely completed their retaliatory strikes against the Palestinians after the killing of two Israeli soldiers today when Mr. Clinton went into the Rose Garden to appeal for calm.

The New York Times

Andy Cohen, the Bravo talk show host, had barely completed one sentence ("I have to admit being a little intimidated by this audience," he said) before Erin Wasson, sitting with Alexander Wang in the front row, yelled, "Duh!" Mr. Cohen did not bomb as the awards host, even with farcical suggestions for future designer collaborations like Jason Wu for Honey Boo Boo.

The New York Times

The president and his would-be Republican successor, Sen. John McCain, had barely completed even one Iraq victory lap singing hosannas to the surge when they were obliged to begin thinking and talking about how they're going to shore up a failing policy in Afghanistan.

Huffington Post

The award announcement had barely been completed, though, when dissenting grenades started landing at the satellite agency.

The New York Times

While college enrollment is now a reachable goal, the proportion of students who complete a college degree has barely changed.

University of Chicago

Success for more children, and this state, depends on completing the journey California has barely begun.

Los Angeles Times

As the world's largest democracy prepares to go to the polls, we've invited five people from India, the US and the UK who have expertise on economics, women's rights, youth movements, disability rights and urban development to answer the question: "Do you perceive India to be a developing country?" The development project in India is nowhere near complete – indeed it has barely begun.

The Guardian

Complete cure for oral submucous fibrosis has barely been achieved [50].

Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "has barely completed" to emphasize the recency or the minimal effort involved in finishing a task. It often implies that the task was completed just in time or with minimal thoroughness.

Common error

Avoid using "has barely completed" when the task is significantly advanced. This phrase is best suited for situations where the completion is recent, minimal, or almost incomplete.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "has barely completed" functions as a present perfect construction emphasizing the recent and near-incomplete state of a task's completion. Ludwig's examples illustrate its usage across various contexts to highlight minimal effort or recent finalization.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Academia

20%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "has barely completed" is a phrase used to express that something has recently or minimally reached a state of completion. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage in diverse contexts like News & Media, Science and Academia. It is used to stress a sense of recency, near-incompleteness, or minimal effort. While grammatically correct, it's important to consider the context and choose a phrase that accurately reflects the level of completion you intend to convey. Related alternatives such as "has scarcely finished" or "has only just completed" can offer subtle variations in meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

has scarcely finished

Emphasizes the minimal amount of time passed since completing the task.

has only just completed

Highlights the recency and near incompleteness of the completion.

has hardly finished

Indicates a lack of thoroughness in the completion.

has just about completed

Suggests completion was achieved with minimal effort.

has scarcely completed

Emphasizes the narrow margin by which the task was finished.

has only partially completed

Focuses on the incomplete nature of the task, highlighting that not all aspects are finished.

has barely started to complete

Indicates a preliminary stage of completion, with the majority of the task remaining.

has negligibly completed

Emphasizes the insignificance of the completed portion.

has nominally completed

Suggests completion only in name, with little real progress.

has tentatively completed

Indicates a completion that is uncertain or subject to change.

FAQs

How can I use "has barely completed" in a sentence?

You can use "has barely completed" to emphasize that a task was recently finished or done with minimal effort. For example, "She has barely completed the assignment, so it may not be up to par."

What are some alternatives to "has barely completed"?

Some alternatives include "has scarcely finished", "has only just completed", or "has hardly finished", depending on the context.

When is it appropriate to use "has barely completed"?

It is appropriate when you want to convey that something was finished very recently, with minimal effort, or with questionable thoroughness. It suggests the completion was marginal.

What's the difference between "has barely completed" and "has fully completed"?

"Has barely completed" indicates a task was recently or minimally finished, while "has fully completed" suggests the task is entirely and thoroughly done. They represent opposite ends of the completion spectrum.