What does Only mean?
Definitions for Only
ˈoʊn lion·ly
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Only.
Princeton's WordNet
lone(a), lonesome(a), only(a), sole(a), solitary(a)adjective
being the only one; single and isolated from others
"the lone doctor in the entire county"; "a lonesome pine"; "an only child"; "the sole heir"; "the sole example"; "a solitary instance of cowardice"; "a solitary speck in the sky"
alone(p), onlyadverb
exclusive of anyone or anything else
"she alone believed him"; "cannot live by bread alone"; "I'll have this car and this car only"
merely, simply, just, only, butadverb
and nothing more
"I was merely asking"; "it is simply a matter of time"; "just a scratch"; "he was only a child"; "hopes that last but a moment"
entirely, exclusively, solely, alone, onlyadverb
without any others being included or involved
"was entirely to blame"; "a school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children"; "he works for Mr. Smith exclusively"; "did it solely for money"; "the burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone"; "a privilege granted only to him"
onlyadverb
with nevertheless the final result
"He arrived only to find his wife dead"; "We won only to lose again in the next round"
onlyadverb
in the final outcome
"These news will only make you more upset"
onlyadverb
except that
"It was the same story; only this time she came out better"
only, only if, only whenadverb
never except when
"call me only if your cold gets worse"
onlyadverb
as recently as
"I spoke to him only an hour ago"
Wiktionary
onlyadverb
without others or anything further; exclusively
my heart is hers, and hers only
onlyadverb
no more than; just
if there were only one more ticket!
onlyadverb
as recently as
he left only moments ago
onlyadjective
Alone in a category.
onlyadjective
Singularly superior; the best.
He is the only trombonist to recruit.
onlyadjective
Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.
He is their only son, in fact, an only child
onlyadjective
Mere.
onlyconjunction
Under the condition that; but.
onlyconjunction
However.
I would enjoy running, only I have this broken leg
onlyconjunction
But for the fact that; except.
Etymology: ænlic, from ; corresponding to one + -ly/-like. Cognate with enlig, and obsolete eenlijk.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Onlyadjective
Etymology: from one, onely, or onelike.
Of all whom fortune to my sword did bring,
This only man was worth the conquering. Dryden.The logick now in use has long possessed the chair, as the only art taught in the schools for the direction of the mind in the study of the sciences. John Locke.
Onlyadverb
I propose my thoughts only as conjectures. Burnet.
The posterity of the wicked inherit the fruit of their father’s vices; and that not only by a just judgment, but from the natural course of things. John Tillotson, Serm. 4.
All who deserve his love, he makes his own;
And to be lov’d himself, needs only to be known. Dryd.Nor must this contrition be exercised by us, only for grosser evils; but when we live the best. William Wake.
Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil continually. Gen. vi. 5.
Wikipedia
Only
Only is a song by New York City heavy metal band Anthrax off their 1993 album Sound of White Noise. It is one of their most popular songs from the John Bush era, and has also appeared on their compilation album, Return of the Killer A's. Recently Joey Belladonna has sung this song on the big four tours.
ChatGPT
only
The term "only" is an adverb that is used to indicate exclusivity or limitation, suggesting that there is no other alternative, possibility, or exception. It emphasizes a specific quality or condition that is unique or restricted within a given context or situation.
Only
Only refers to the presence or occurrence of a particular thing or action without any other possible options or alternatives. It indicates exclusivity or restriction, often implying a lack of other choices or possibilities. It can also imply uniqueness or singularity, emphasizing that there is nothing else like it.
Wikidata
Only
"Only" is a song by Nine Inch Nails. It was released as the second single from Nine Inch Nails' fourth album With Teeth. "Only" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, where it stayed for seven weeks. It is the second successful release that Nine Inch Nails has had in the UK, peaking at number 20.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Only
ōn′li, adj. single in number or kind: this above all others: alone.—adv. in one manner: for one purpose: singly: merely: barely: entirely.—conj. but: except that.—n. On′liness. [A.S. ánlíc (adj.)—án, one, líc, like.]
Suggested Resources
ONLY
What does ONLY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the ONLY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
ONLY
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Only is ranked #107669 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Only surname appeared 165 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Only.
72.1% or 119 total occurrences were Black.
19.3% or 32 total occurrences were White.
4.2% or 7 total occurrences were of two or more races.
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Only' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #76
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Only' in Written Corpus Frequency: #137
Adverbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Only' in Adverbs Frequency: #6
Adjectives Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'Only' in Adjectives Frequency: #37
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- 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Anagrams for Only »
Lyon
ynol
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of Only in Chaldean Numerology is: 7
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of Only in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Examples of Only in a Sentence
I have only had one client my entire life and that is the people. Unlike others, I have never represented a corporation.
I think they just want to hear his story and if they don't, the only one they've got is the prosecutions' story.
Greek debt yields provide only a rough guide, and although a missed deadline will not spell default, market concern remains high.
You know how much we’ve all been through, our entire community, but now we have safe, effective, life-saving vaccines, and it not only helps him but the entire community and anyone vulnerable around our family, that’s a great lesson to impart to our children.
There are state lawmakers who have been co-conspirators in these lies, in questioning the outcome of the election, trump lost, and our local lawmakers in Wisconsin Capitol have not been telling that truth. And as a result, maybe they didn't send anybody to DC on a bus. Maybe only a few of them were down there that we saw on social media, but they're complicit in this terror.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for Only
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- فقطArabic
- само, единствен, единственоBulgarian
- només, sols, solament, únic, únicamentCatalan, Valencian
- jen, až, jenom, teprve, jedináček, jenže, pouze, jedině, jedinýCzech
- enesteDanish
- gerade, geschwisterlos, einzig, einzigartig, Einzelkind, nurGerman
- μοναδικό, μόνο, μοναδική, αλλά, μοναδικός, μόνος, μόνηGreek
- sola, nuraEsperanto
- sólo, apenas, hijo único, solamente, único, únicamenteSpanish
- ainusEstonian
- فقط, تنها, تَنهاPersian
- mutta, edes, ainut, vain, vasta, juuri, ainoa, ainutlaatuinen, jos, ainoastaan, paitsi että, sillä ehdolla, ettäFinnish
- que, unique, seulement, sauf que, seul, mais, ne...que, uniquementFrench
- sóGalician
- רק, יָחִידHebrew
- सिर्फ़, हीHindi
- csak, egyetlen, kivéveHungarian
- մինուճար, միայն, միամոր, միակArmenian
- solmenteInterlingua
- nuraIdo
- solo, solamente, unicoItalian
- だけ, しか, 唯一Japanese
- ერთადერთიGeorgian
- 유일한, ...만, 하나밖에 없는Korean
- تهنهاKurdish
- unicus, sōlumLatin
- vienīgi, tikai, vienīgsLatvian
- മാത്രംMalayalam
- फ़क्तMarathi
- sahaja, hanyaMalay
- ရုံBurmese
- pas, enig, netDutch
- eneste, bare, einasteNorwegian
- jedyny, tylko, najlepszy, dopieroPolish
- somente, porém, exceto, único, todavia, mas, apenas, melhor, salvo, que, filhoPortuguese
- sapaQuechua
- singur, unic, numaiRomanian
- только вот, лишь, единственный, только, единый, но, за исключением того, что, однако, всегоRussian
- само, sámoSerbo-Croatian
- jedinýSlovak
- edinSlovene
- bara, endast, endaSwedish
- ஒரேTamil
- ఏకైక, ఒకే, ఒక్కగానొక్కTelugu
- sadece, yalnızca, bir tek, tekTurkish
- єдинийUkrainian
- صرفUrdu
- teVolapük
- 只要Chinese
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