: 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
The Harvard Business Review reinforces this: Emotionally connected customers are more than twice as valuable as merely satisfied ones.
—Manu Mathew, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
These are important questions, but are ultimately merely nibbling around the edges of the main problem, which is that Rikers Island has for decades now been a cesspool of unconstitutional conduct and rampant violence that has shocked even longtime criminal justice observers like Martin.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 July 2025
But there’s also enough of a sample size, defender Chris McVey said, to believe last week’s lapses were merely a one-off.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
Looping would mean that June is not necessarily the end, merely a break in our continued work.
—Michael Maguire, Boston Herald, 12 July 2025
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Manu Mathew, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
These are important questions, but are ultimately merely nibbling around the edges of the main problem, which is that Rikers Island has for decades now been a cesspool of unconstitutional conduct and rampant violence that has shocked even longtime criminal justice observers like Martin.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 July 2025
But there’s also enough of a sample size, defender Chris McVey said, to believe last week’s lapses were merely a one-off.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
Looping would mean that June is not necessarily the end, merely a break in our continued work.
—Michael Maguire, Boston Herald, 12 July 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 19 Jul. 2025.
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