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

Getting traded, per his request, seems a more realistic exit plan than three years ago, when a March trade request was merely a step toward a contract extension in training camp (three years, $72 million). —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025

To merely dismiss the Sazerac as yet another Old Fashioned variation is to miss its charms. —Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 7 Feb. 2025

Bronstein’s relentless direction keeps the camera provocatively close to the character throughout, as if merely looking at her is testing her limits. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2025

Beyond anyone who might have openly disregarded what could be compared to jury instructions, though, anyone else could merely have voted for others just to avoid Tyrer or abstain from voting for him without it being exposed as dereliction of duty. —Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1580, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing merely

• not just/only/merely
• not merely