solely
Americanadverb
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as the only one or ones.
solely responsible.
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exclusively or only.
plants found solely in the tropics.
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merely.
She wanted solely to get out of the house for a while.
adverb
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only; completely; entirely
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without another or others; singly; alone
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for one thing only
Etymology
Origin of solely
Explanation
Solely is another word for "only" or "entirely": Your new puppy is solely your responsibility — you have to feed it, walk it, and take care of it all by yourself. Solely comes from the Latin sola, the feminine form of "alone," and if you know other Romance languages, you'll recognize it in, for instance, Italian solo, or Spanish solamente and French seulement. In English, a solo is a song you sing alone.
Vocabulary lists containing solely
"Shooting an Elephant"
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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5.4: The Second Industrial Revolution (Sources 1–8)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Solely battery-powered trains are already operating in Japan and Germany, but UK experts say they could pose unique fire safety challenges.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2024
Solely as a suite of character studies and social documentaries in miniature, then, Rhythm + Flow repays its viewing time.
From Slate • Oct. 16, 2019
"Solely to put this matter behind him, Mr. Menefee has agreed to a settlement in which he has not admitted any wrongdoing."
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2018
Solely based on population size alone – for comparison, Trinidad & Tobago has 1.3 million people – Iceland has no business appearing at major tournaments, far less doing well.
From The Guardian • Nov. 18, 2016
Solely to look after the Divinos and keep them from heaping misery on the other people types and giving them a pinch from time to time?
From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
