not merely
idiom
—used to say that one thing is true and that another thing is also true
He was not merely a great baseball player, he was also a great person.
Examples of not merely in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even cavemen, in ancient, simpler times, could not merely sit around in cave admiring/praising one another, but had to hunt, fight, compete with members of own group for status.
—
George Saunders, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
When Polly and Lyman’s very liberal daughter Brooke (Melanie Lora) arrives in Palm Springs from New York, not merely for the holidays but bearing potential dynamite — a revealing family memoir — it’s guaranteed that politics won’t be the only bone of contention at this yuletide gathering.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
This is how a social revolution — not merely journalistic niceties — is won, when it’s made to seem normal and polite.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Feb. 2025
Outraged that the jury had seemingly ignored damning video evidence, countless Angelenos—angry, frustrated, and desperate—stormed the streets in protest not merely against the verdict itself, but more broadly against poor, undignified social conditions.
—V.n. Trinh / Made By History, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
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George Saunders, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2025
When Polly and Lyman’s very liberal daughter Brooke (Melanie Lora) arrives in Palm Springs from New York, not merely for the holidays but bearing potential dynamite — a revealing family memoir — it’s guaranteed that politics won’t be the only bone of contention at this yuletide gathering.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
This is how a social revolution — not merely journalistic niceties — is won, when it’s made to seem normal and polite.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Feb. 2025
Outraged that the jury had seemingly ignored damning video evidence, countless Angelenos—angry, frustrated, and desperate—stormed the streets in protest not merely against the verdict itself, but more broadly against poor, undignified social conditions.
—V.n. Trinh / Made By History, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for not merely
Dictionary Entries Near not merely
Cite this Entry
“Not merely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20merely. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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