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merely

American  
[meer-lee] / ˈmɪər li /

adverb

  1. only as specified and nothing more; simply.

    merely a matter of form.

  2. Obsolete.

    1. without admixture; purely.

    2. altogether; entirely.

ˈmerely British  
/ ˈmɪəlɪ /

adverb

  1. only; nothing more than

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of merely

First recorded in 1400–50, merely is from the late Middle English word mereli. See mere 1, -ly

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.