solely

[sohl-lee]

adverb

1. as the only one or ones.

   solely responsible.

2. exclusively or only.

   plants found solely in the tropics.

3. merely.

   She wanted solely to get out of the house for a while.

solely

/ ˈsəʊllɪ /

adverb

1. only; completely; entirely

2. without another or others; singly; alone

3. for one thing only

Word History and Origins

Origin of solely¹

First recorded in 1485–95; sole ¹ + -ly

Example Sentences

His deal offers are, of course, invariably one-sided and self-serving, but as he loses power, so too will he lose the capacity to make deals solely on his terms.

From Salon

Unlike Paradise, Berry Creek was unincorporated; there were no local elected officials who were solely focused on the community or a city bank account to channel recovery funds through.

From Los Angeles Times

While there has been development on Camp Pendleton those projects have solely been for military uses.

From Los Angeles Times

They could, for instance, elect to save Ohtani for a potential Game 3, and allow him to focus solely on hitting in the series’ first two games.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course, Scheffler is far from solely responsible for the foursomes defeats.

From BBC

Related Words

• completely 
• entirely 
• exclusively 
• individually 
• merely 
• purely 
• simply 
• single-handedly 
• totally 
• wholly