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 of merely

• just
• only
• simply

Examples of merely in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Netflix’s next chapter is primarily focused on efficiently monetizing its existing scale instead of merely gaining new users. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Defense attorneys countered that Espinoza Martinez, a carpenter with little money in his bank account, was merely repeating rumors circulating on social media and in his neighborhood. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Investors learned last year that Wall Street moves sharply in response to Trump’s policies — whether they are merely threatened or actually implemented. —Paulina Likos, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026

Their answer is merely to kick the can down the road. —Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing merely

• not just/only/merely
• not merely

Rhymes for merely

• austerely
• severely
• sincerely
• cavalierly
• clearly
• dearly
• nearly
• queerly
• yearly