merely

adverb

mere·​ly ˈmir-lē 

: nothing more than : only

was merely trying to help

… no boy wanted to be on record as considering a girl a major fox only to discover that she considered him merely cool.

—Richard Russo

Not merely decorative, the crisscrossing slats and fins variously filter light and provide privacy.

—Rob Haskell

Many merely desire a pleasant afternoon perusing the exhibitions in their local gallery.

—Launt Thompson

Many of the deep-sea fishes, for example, have pathetically weak skeletons and terribly flabby bodies—in extreme cases they are the consistency of gelatin and seem to be composed merely of mouth and stomach.

—Tim Flannery

… because of technology what in the past would have taken days took merely hours.

—Lee Child

Synonyms

• but
• just
• only
• purely
• simply

Examples of merely in a Sentence

the outside noise was merely a raccoon knocking over the garbage can

Recent Examples on the Web

Many held onto their GameStop and AMC shares as the share price bottomed out after the 2021 boom and may be looking to sell and seize any profit (or merely cut their losses) during this rebound. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2024

One of those four-point runs came early in the first set that merely brought the Islanders to 6-5 while the other came early in set three for a 7-3 lead. —Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024

The executive had deleted her videos as of Friday and her page merely carried her apology. —Zheping Huang, Fortune Asia, 10 May 2024

Another lingering question is whether the belugas are making shapes on purpose, or whether this behavior is merely a reflex that reflects their mood, per Science News. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 May 2024

Allowing the measure to proceed would merely shift the battle to the electoral arena but that has its own complications. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 10 May 2024

The British Museum has never been merely a trove of exquisite art works. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024

SpaceX already was in the station delivery business and merely refashioned its cargo capsule for crew. —Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 5 May 2024

However, several legal experts told USA TODAY a more realistic sentence, assuming that worst-outcome for Trump on the 34 counts, ranges from merely probation to up to four years in prison. – Aysha Bagchi What is Donald Trump on trial for? —David Jackson, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing merely

• not just/only/merely
• not merely