Synonyms of merely

merely

adverb

ˈmir-lē 

as in just

nothing more than

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• just
• only
• simply
• purely
• but

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of merely

So even if a veteran baseball broadcaster is merely pretty good in those aspects, the familiarity, the comfort factor, the association with their team, is enough to endear that broadcaster to his listeners. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

Who wouldn’t like to whip out a formula that enabled you to judge this action as evil and the other as merely wrong? — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026

Mercury opposes Saturn across the friendship and pleasure areas of your chart, making the difference between belonging and merely showing up harder to ignore. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026

But the result has been a military strategy detached from a political strategy—a determination merely to prevent Ukraine’s defeat and impose costs on Russia indefinitely. — Nadia Schadlow, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026