EN

Synonyms for merely

13 synonyms
7 antonyms
2 meanings

adverb

Most common

simply scarcely solely purely

Synonyms by meaning

Adverb

1. Simply — without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more

simply, but, just, scarcely, literally informal, barely dated

2. Purely — wholly, entirely

only, purely, solely, entirely, wholly, exclusively, alone

Antonyms

indeed, very, completely

All antonyms of merely →

Definitions

adv. 1
Without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more.
adv. 2
Wholly, entirely.

Example sentences

simply Kidding! I was simply invited to go out to dinner.
scarcely She had scarcely finished speaking when he cut in.
solely Algeria is almost solely relying on hydrocarbons.
purely Yanni and Skura's relationship is purely platonic.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
merely		falling
simply		rising
scarcely		falling
solely		steady
purely		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: but¹
4 letters: just¹, only²
5 letters: alone²
6 letters: simply², barely², solely³, purely², wholly²
8 letters: entirely⁴, scarcely²
9 letters: literally⁴
11 letters: exclusively⁴

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (only² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: seulement
Italiano: soltanto
Deutsch: nur
Català: solament