1
as in just
for nothing other than
you're doing that only to annoy me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
1
as in excellent
having no equal or rival for excellence or desirability
the only way to really appreciate the beauty of the forest is to walk through it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in one
being the one or ones of a class with no other members
that is the only possible right answer we were the only passengers on the tour bus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of only
Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025
Airlines for America said air traffic control staffing issues led it to cancel only 11 flights in the first 29 days of the shutdown.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
Emily Schwing, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
Ultimately, the location misstep isn’t the only issue the AFM has faced in recent years.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for only
Adverb
New York only reaches a high in the mid-40s Tuesday afternoon.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025
Airlines for America said air traffic control staffing issues led it to cancel only 11 flights in the first 29 days of the shutdown.
—Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
Schools are often the only buildings that stand on pilings — important amid the rising waters of climate change — and also the only buildings large enough to house dozens if not hundreds of people for days at a time.
—Emily Schwing, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
Ultimately, the location misstep isn’t the only issue the AFM has faced in recent years.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for only
Recent Examples of Synonyms for only
Adverb
-
Leaders in Congress agreed and sent out armadas of patriot privateers to do just that, plundering British shipping around the Atlantic rim and forcing Royal Navy warships to redeploy to convoy duty.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
There are also just more bears these days.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
She’s been obsessed with slavery lately.—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The Bills have owned the Dolphins lately (if not quite the NFL, or now, even the AFC East).—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
But the bailout merely delayed the inevitable.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
-
And the action ranges from dueling card tricks to the kind of honest-to-God fights that merely serve to remind us that balletic action films really are magic tricks.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Thus far, Arsenal’s excellent form has relegated the injuries to a subplot.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The carbon nanofiber provides mechanical stability, abundant pore channels, and excellent electrolyte wettability, while the cobalt sites catalyze the adsorption and conversion of polysulfides.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
3 Aug. 2019
-
Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.—
Johannes Himmelreich,
BostonGlobe.com,
30 Mar. 2018
Conjunction
-
But scientists and doctors say things aren’t that simple — and a belief that exposing children to marijuana, either directly or indirectly, is harmless isn’t supported by the facts.—
Daniel M. Jimenez,
The Cannifornian,
22 June 2017
-
But with a full and volatile season behind them, the two have grown closer, prompting check-ins from Bradford last month, seeking tidbits from his coach who watched OTA practices on a tablet from his Kentucky retreat.—
Chad Graff,
Twin Cities,
15 June 2017
Adverb
-
But going into markets relying solely on territory pre-sales alone — once the norm at AFM — is today a rarity, with most packages having some financing already in place to mitigate risk — and jitters.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
-
As part of the newsroom, all Alyssa’s work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors.—
Alyssa N. Salcedo,
jsonline.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
On July 4, 1776, an Irish immigrant to Philadelphia worked late into the night to set the final text of the Declaration into type.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The storm is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam, just north of the city of Quy Nhon, late on Thursday and early on Friday, when the JTWC estimates its intensity could drop from 90 to 20 knots.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Only.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/only. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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