merely

adverb

mere·​ly ˈmir-lē How to pronounce merely (audio)
: 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

Examples of merely in a Sentence

the outside noise was merely a raccoon knocking over the garbage can
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And our brain struggles to differentiate between situations that are life-threatening and those that merely threaten our ego. Csaba Toth, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025 Judge Subramanian said the jurors must reach a unanimous verdict, but must not give up their convictions merely to return a verdict or satisfy the rest of the jurors. Lauryn Overhultz , Tracy Wright , Maria Paronich , Brendan McDonald, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025 Its victims, malefactors, and investigators are largely without personality, their function being merely to leave or follow trails, and to wear out a reader with anticlimax after anticlimax. Thomas Mallon, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 James Beard Awards and international acclaim, and others merely wanting to serve and nourish their communities. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for merely

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of merely was circa 1580

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Cite this Entry

“Merely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merely. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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