: 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
Richard RussoNot merely decorative, the crisscrossing slats and fins variously filter light and provide privacy.—Rob Haskell
Rob HaskellMany merely desire a pleasant afternoon perusing the exhibitions in their local gallery.—Launt Thompson
Launt ThompsonMany 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
Tim Flannery… because of technology what in the past would have taken days took merely hours.—Lee Child
Lee ChildExamples of merely in a Sentence
the outside noise was merely a raccoon knocking over the garbage can
Recent Examples on the Web
Healthcare stakeholders must realize that regulations are merely a baseline and adopt security-first system architectures, embedding privacy and resilience into their core design.
—Chris Bowen, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
But to prevent the trade from becoming merely a partial-season rental of Ozuna, the Marlins would likely insist on dipping into the Braves' wellspring of pitching prospects.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
However, experts widely agree that the increase in autism rates over time is not actually because more people are developing the disorder — instead, doctors are merely getting better at correctly identifying autism as diagnostic tools become more sophisticated, per NBC News.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Which is why, day after day, the deeply faithful and the merely curious alike assemble before St. Peter's to stare at that slim chimney.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
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Chris Bowen, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
But to prevent the trade from becoming merely a partial-season rental of Ozuna, the Marlins would likely insist on dipping into the Braves' wellspring of pitching prospects.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
However, experts widely agree that the increase in autism rates over time is not actually because more people are developing the disorder — instead, doctors are merely getting better at correctly identifying autism as diagnostic tools become more sophisticated, per NBC News.
—Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Which is why, day after day, the deeply faithful and the merely curious alike assemble before St. Peter's to stare at that slim chimney.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for merely
Cite this Entry
“Merely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merely. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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