MERELY • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Merely

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/mˈɪrli/ Listen

adverb

Merely adv.

Purely; unmixedly; absolutely. "Ulysses was to force forth his access, Though merely naked."

Not otherwise than; simply; barely; only. "Prize not your life for other ends Than merely to oblige your friends."

Synonyms: Solely; simply; purely; barely; scarcely.

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Etymology of 'Merely'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Merely" Quotes from Famous Books

... thing, which lies so near us that we can take it into our grasp by merely reaching out a hand; which is as close to us as the air and the sunlight, has been by the sad, misguided efforts, very often of the best and noblest-minded men, who knew how precious a thing it was, so guarded, so wrapped up, made so remote from, so alien to, life and thought, ...

— From a College Window • Arthur Christopher Benson

... and was very well satisfied with matters generally as they then stood. But I was soon to learn that my young master was only anxious to carry out the plans of his father, and was determined to punish, or, as they pleased to term it, "break me," merely because I was related to Ben—because I was able to read and write as well if not better ...

— Biography of a Slave - Being the Experiences of Rev. Charles Thompson • Charles Thompson

... of all tree tragedies is represented by the chestnut. Once a dominant species in many parts of the East, it is now merely a wreck of its former self. In whole states along the Atlantic Seaboard, it has been wiped out by a fungus disease introduced from Japan some 25 years ago. Pennsylvania allows no chestnut trees to be shipped outside its limits for ...

— Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Sixth Annual Meeting. Rochester, New York, September 1 and 2, 1915 • Various

... not imagine, with a shudder, that these remarks are the prelude to something that will harrow up your feelings. Not so. They are merely the apology, if apology be needed, for the ...

— The Lighthouse • R.M. Ballantyne

... on more serious things, and merely pushed the trap aside as he pulled out the drawer with an excited gesture, which sent it and all its contents clattering ...

— Under the Lilacs • Louisa May Alcott

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