What does merely mean?
Definitions for merely
mere·ly
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word merely.
Princeton's WordNet
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"
Wiktionary
merelyadverb
Wholly, entirely.
merelyadverb
Without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Merelyadverb
Simply; only; thus and no other way; for this and for no other end or purpose.
Etymology: from mere.
Which thing we ourselves would grant, if the use thereof had been merely and only mystical. Richard Hooker, b. v.
These external manners of laments
Are merely shadows to the unseen grief,
That swells with silence in the tortur’d soul. William Shakespeare.It is below reasonable creatures to be conversant in such diversions as are merely innocent, and have nothing else to recommend them. Joseph Addison, Spect. №. 93.
Above a thousand bought his almanack merely to find what he said against me. Jonathan Swift.
Prize not your life for other ends
Than merely to oblige your friends. Jonathan Swift.
ChatGPT
merely
Merely can be generally defined as something that is only or just its basic form or level, with little significance or importance attached to it. It emphasizes simplicity, insignificance, or lack of complexity.
Webster Dictionary
Merelyadverb
purely; unmixedly; absolutely
Merelyadverb
not otherwise than; simply; barely; only
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'merely' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1332
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'merely' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3103
Adverbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'merely' in Adverbs Frequency: #125
Anagrams for merely »
yelmer
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of merely in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of merely in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Examples of merely in a Sentence
It is not merely the amount and location, but also the time frame — she has been very active in what essentially adds up to three weeks.
The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life.
I come [ to France ] not merely because of the past, but because of future associations in defense of the West -- in defense of freedom everywhere.
Money and success don't change people they merely amplify what is already there.
Regardless of whether Kid Rock says he’s only exploring candidacy, he’s selling ‘Kid Rock for Senate’ merchandise and is a candidate under the law. This is campaign finance law 101, he can’t reasonably claim to be merely testing the waters of candidacy and thus exempt from candidate filing requirements. He is a candidate and is obligated to abide by all the rules and make the same disclosures required of everyone else running for federal office.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for merely
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- بالكادArabic
- то́лькі, про́стаBelarusian
- merament, simplementCatalan, Valencian
- pouzeCzech
- bloß, schier, nur, lediglichGerman
- απλώςGreek
- تنهاPersian
- vain, ainoastaan, pelkästäänFinnish
- uniquement, simplement, seulementFrench
- csak, csupánHungarian
- soltanto, meramente, semplicemente, solamenteItalian
- 単に, ただ, ばかりJapanese
- គ្រាន់តែKhmer
- tantum, sōlumLatin
- louter, alleenDutch
- tʼóóNavajo, Navaho
- tylkoPolish
- somente, meramentePortuguese
- abia, doarRomanian
- то́лько, про́сто, всего́-на́всего, лишьRussian
- jedino, prostoSerbo-Croatian
- yalnızca, sadeceTurkish
- лише́, ті́льки, про́стоUkrainian
- 僅僅Chinese
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"merely." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/merely>.
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