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.
Breakthroughs like using aspirin against heart disease shouldn’t depend solely on luck and the goodwill of an individual physician.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
They pivoted from shooting solely on location in Greece to filming some parts in L. A. in front of an LED wall.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Instead of viewing them solely as symbolic layers representing sin, Burbery argues they closely resemble the terraced rings seen in massive impact basins throughout the solar system.
From Science Daily • May 11, 2026
But there is, in theory, a narrow path for the SNP to win the required seats solely from the constituencies.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Prize awarded solely on the basis of overall weight of fish caught that day.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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.
