only

1 of 3

adjective

on·ly ˈōn-lē

Synonyms of only next

: unquestionably the best : peerless

is convinced that his team is the only one

: alone in a class or category : sole

the only one left

the only known species

She's the only person you can really trust.

: having no brother or sister

an only child

: few

one of the only areas not yet explored

That was one of the only times I saw him cry.

only

2 of 3

adverb

: as a single fact or instance and nothing more or different : merely

has only lost one election—

George Orwell

: solely, exclusively

known only to him

: at the very least

it was only too true

: in the final outcome

will only make you sick

: with nevertheless the final result

won the battles, only to lose the war

: as recently as : not before

only last week

only in the last year did she get recognition

: in the immediate past

only just talked to her

Placement of Only in a Sentence: Usage Guide

The placement of only in a sentence has been a source of studious commentary since the 18th century, most of it intended to prove by force of argument that prevailing standard usage is wrong. After 200 years of preachment the following observations may be made: the position of only in standard spoken English is not fixed, since ambiguity is avoided through sentence stress; in casual prose that keeps close to the rhythms of speech only is often placed where it would be in speech; and in edited and more formal prose only tends to be placed immediately before the word or words it modifies.

only

3 of 3

conjunction

: with the restriction that : but

you may go, only come back early

: and yet : however

they look very nice, only we can't use them

: were it not that : except

I'd introduce you to her, only you'd win her—

Jack London

Example Sentences

Adjective the only way to really appreciate the beauty of the forest is to walk through it that is the only possible right answer Adverb She had been there only twice in her life. There are only two more weeks until summer vacation. It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. Do you really have to leave? It's only eight o'clock. He was only a baby when his father died. Leave her alone. She's only a kid. The building is only about 10 years old. It was quiet in the room, but only for a moment. She is only partly to blame. The club is for women only. Conjunction I'd love to sing along, only I don't know the words. They did have a radio, only it was broken. We wanted to buy that painting, only it was far too expensive. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The only survivor of the crash was Trevor Rees-Jones, who was Dodi’s bodyguard. —

Korin Miller, Women's Health, 18 May 2023 Hers weren't the only powerhouse vocals to bring the house down, though. —

Lauren Huff, EW.com, 18 May 2023 The Pacers' 1986 first-rounder is their only Rookie of the Year, averaging 18.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals. —

Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 17 May 2023 Los Angeles Times Dancers at an L.A. topless bar are set to become the only unionized strippers in the U.S. —

Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2023 Technically, compressed air is not the only option, as a plasma effectors and others methods can also be used to manipulate air flow. —

Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 17 May 2023 Weaver’s Nick Ledbetter was the only other golfer to break 80 finishing four strokes back at 79. —

Al.com Reports, al, 16 May 2023 The only major party candidate who chose not to participate was Mitt Romney. —

Dave Sirulnick, Variety, 16 May 2023 Darryl Sutter and Scott Bowman are the only other coaches to do that. —

Stephen Hawkins, Anchorage Daily News, 16 May 2023

Adverb

Not only are there TV shows, but countless new characters are also getting their chance to shine. —

Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 18 May 2023 The Family Stallone is currently only available to watch on Paramount+. —

Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 18 May 2023 The rates are even worse for Black people, who make up a third of Texas’ prison population despite being only 13% of the state’s population. —

Arcelia Martin, Dallas News, 18 May 2023 He was only seen publicly at his son's memorial service in 2007, per The Daily Mail. —

Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 18 May 2023 Better paint will not only look nicer but also last longer and require fewer touchups. —

Kate Mcgregor, House Beautiful, 18 May 2023 Hennessy, the judge, had pushed back on suggestions from Teixeira’s attorney, who claimed his client only meant to share the information with a small group of online friends, not the wider world. —

Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 18 May 2023 Lèa Seydoux as Sandra, a woman coping not only with the decline of her beloved father, but the arrival in her life of a very complicated new love interest. —

The Editors, Town & Country, 18 May 2023 Fairplay not only pulling off the dead grandma lie but also getting drunk at Tribal Council. —

Dalton Ross, EW.com, 18 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'only.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.