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

• 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

So consider these examples as merely the first step; continue to evaluate the underlying factors and options for suitability, and deploy the strategy consistently for optimal results. —Michael Khouw, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2025

Dense, yet never overwhelming, The Sanhedrin Chronicles is merely the curtain-raiser for an epic spanning multiple sequels. —Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

But soon Islamic scholars became recognized as the second-highest status group, ranking below aristocrats but above the merely wealthy. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 14 Sep. 2025

However, instead of dedicated keys, leaping is merely a part of THE's internal command line, termed the Humane Quasimode, where other commands can be sent. —Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025

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