: 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
Approximately 80% of that figure comes from consulting services, signifying that enterprises are compensating IBM to create operational AI systems, rather than merely executing pilot programs.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Brains and institutions alike are both drawn to exploit what already looks promising, often at the expense of exploring what’s merely interesting, awkward, or unfinished.
—Rachel Barr, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s initial $349 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year is, as administration officials acknowledge, merely a placeholder.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
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Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Brains and institutions alike are both drawn to exploit what already looks promising, often at the expense of exploring what’s merely interesting, awkward, or unfinished.
—Rachel Barr, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Newsom’s initial $349 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year is, as administration officials acknowledge, merely a placeholder.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for merely
Cite this Entry
“Merely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merely. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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