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

• but
• just
• only
• purely
• simply

Examples of merely in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

And, without a control group (no kombucha over those eight weeks), the study merely compares different weight cohorts. —New Atlas, 21 June 2025

The court here declined to look at the issue as merely being one of whether an Anti-SLAPP law should apply in federal court or not. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025

But there’s a problem when journalists dutifully promote Hollywood marketing and merely praise Jaws for its impact on summer-movie habits. —Armond White, National Review, 20 June 2025

The merely wealthy waiting for their big payday In 2023, a hedge-fund manager signed a $25,000-a-month lease for a two-bedroom apartment at 150 Charles. —Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 20 June 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