as in just
nothing more than the outside noise was merely a raccoon knocking over the garbage can

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of merely But the film’s pulse-pounding excitement is merely a feint to suggest how the rush for vengeance — no matter how justified — only brings about more killing, dragging down honorable intentions and leaving blood on everyone’s hands. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025 The ultra-discreet visualization of Agnes’s assault is merely one respect in which the film sidesteps the usual strategies of so much trauma fiction. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 June 2025 There’s a risk of indecency, certainly, but the boundary is subjective, and Bayern smashing 10 past Auckland was merely them completing a full day’s work. Phil Hay, New York Times, 19 June 2025 Here, trauma is merely the framework, not the focus. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for merely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merely
Adverb
  • Tyrone Taylor hit a one-out single off Strider and stole second, and with two outs, Mauricio sent him home for just his third RBI of the season.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 20 June 2025
  • Gener struck out 75 batters in 58 innings while walking just 14.
    Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 20 June 2025
Adverb
  • Having only scored one openplay goal in his last ten games and flirted on the periphery of matches, the equation of how to integrate Haaland with a new cast of fluid attackers still had to be solved.
    Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 27 June 2025
  • Zuckerberg famously earns only $1 as CEO at Meta, although the company provides him a $14 million allowance for costs related to security for Zuckerberg and his family.
    Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 June 2025
Adverb
  • Tristan Jarry — Jarry is in a slightly different spot than Graves simply because the goaltender was legitimately good in the final month of the season.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 17 June 2025
  • But this project and others like it are not simply neighborhood-level matters to be settled by the loudest voices in a community meeting.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Merely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merely. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.

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