Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [meer-lee]
- /ˈmɪər li/
- /ˈmɪəli/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [meer-lee]
- /ˈmɪər li/
Definitions of merely word
- adverb merely only as specified and nothing more; simply: merely a matter of form. 1
- adverb merely Obsolete. without admixture; purely. altogether; entirely. 1
- noun merely Just; only. 1
- adverb merely You use merely to emphasize that something is only what you say and not better, more important, or more exciting. 0
- adverb merely You use merely to emphasize that a particular amount or quantity is very small. 0
- adverb merely only; nothing more than 0
Information block about the term
Origin of merely
First appearance:
before 1400 One of the 24% oldest English words
First recorded in 1400-50, merely is from the late Middle English word mereli. See mere1, -ly
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Merely
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
merely popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 88% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
merely usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for merely
adv merely
- purely — entirely; completely.
- only — without others or anything further; alone; solely; exclusively: This information is for your eyes only.
- simply — in a simple manner; clearly and easily.
- solely — as the only one or ones: solely responsible.
- hardly — only just; almost not; barely: We had hardly reached the lake when it started raining. hardly any; hardly ever.
Antonyms for merely
adv merely
- indefinitely — not definite; without fixed or specified limit; unlimited: an indefinite number.
- incompletely — not complete; lacking some part.
Top questions with merely
- what does merely mean?
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- who sings we were merely freshmen?
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- wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been?
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See also
Matching words
- Words starting with m
- Words starting with me
- Words starting with mer
- Words starting with mere
- Words starting with merel
- Words starting with merely