merely

American  

[meer-lee] / ˈmɪər li /

adverb

1. only as specified and nothing more; simply.

   merely a matter of form.

2. Obsolete.

   1. without admixture; purely.

   2. altogether; entirely.

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merely British  

/ ˈmɪəlɪ /

adverb

1. only; nothing more than

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Etymology

Origin of merely

First recorded in 1400–50, merely is from the late Middle English word mereli. See mere ¹, -ly

Explanation

Merely means "only." If you say "I was merely trying to help," your efforts were probably not appreciated and you're likely to be stalking off with your nose in the air. Merely comes from the Latin merus, ("undiluted"). But "undiluted" is positive — as in, "that's the undiluted truth" — in a way that merely is not. When you use merely, it always has a negative, disapproving tinge to it: You might say, "She was merely a minor player in that drama," but if you said, "She was merely the star of the show," you would mean it ironically, since being the star is the most important role.

Example Sentences

For Michael Govan, its director, the building was merely a means to an end, which was to change the definition of the museum itself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

The trust merely distributes money to him on a need-to-have basis and, depending on the rules, can just as easily cease payments.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Understandably, some may feel that Martinez's actions were not particularly violent, but this is merely the red-card category into which all hair pulls are assigned, irrespective of the level of force.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Whether in response to this, or merely because she was tired of waiting, the cat leaped.

From "Abel's Island" by William Steig

Related Words

• hardly
• only
• purely
• simply
• solely