merely
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
used to say that something is only what you mentioned and nothing more.
used to emphasize that nothing else than what is mentioned is involved; functions as a synonym for 'only' or 'just' but with a more formal tone.
Simple“The repair wasn't expensive; it merely cost five dollars to fix the pipe.”
In context“The witness claimed he was merely a bystander, though the prosecution argued his presence at the scene was far from accidental.”
UsageUsually placed before the word or phrase it modifies.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
completely or entirely.
used to indicate that something is absolute or total. This sense is no longer used in modern speech.
Simple“The story he told was merely a lie from start to finish.”
In context“In the old records, the captain described the ship's destruction as being merely by the force of the storm.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is found in Shakespeare and other early modern texts; learners should not use it in contemporary writing.
“These expectations were thwarted – but dial your expectations down merely to spiky and interrogative comedy, and they will be amply rewarded.”
“Such as the fact that so much of the pleased-with-itself “experimentalism” of the 1960 to 1980 period was merely a retread of things that had been done better before.”
From Middle English mereli, equivalent to mere + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.