not merely

idiom

—used to say that one thing is true and that another thing is also true

He was not merely a great baseball player, he was also a great person.

Examples of not merely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But for Native Americans, race is not merely a social construct. —David Treuer, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026

This story dominated the tabloids and fed a general sense that violence in the city was not merely rising but becoming random, intimate, impossible to make sense of. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026

Ongoing debates over port concessions and terminal control underscore that both Washington and Beijing view the canal itself and canal-adjacent assets as strategic, not merely commercial in nature. —Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 11 Jan. 2026

But Anderson’s return has not merely been a plunge back into a world often reduced to a blur of airports, hotels, physical training, practice sessions and constant preparation, all with a baby strapped in a carrier and a 3-year-old zig-zagging between her feet. —Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for not merely

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