merely

«merely» in Mova's school dictionary: only or just, showing that something is small or not… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adverb (merely)

meaning for a pupil

1) (formal) Merely means only or just, showing that something is small or not important. tree →

2) Merely can mean nothing more than: "It was merely a joke". tree →

sense in the lessons

It appears in formal texts and stories: "She merely smiled". In maths texts it can tell you a number is small: "merely 3 out of 30". Everyday speech uses "just" or "only". Phrases: merely a, not merely ... but also.

examples

• It was merely a scratch, not a big cut. tree →
• He merely shrugged and walked away. tree →
• I was merely asking a question. tree →
• Merely 2 of the 30 pupils were late. tree →
• The wolf was not merely hungry, but starving. tree →
• The dog is merely playing; it won't bite. tree →
• Saying sorry is not merely polite, it is kind. tree →
• She merely looked at the cake, but did not eat it. tree →
• And the man replied, ‘Why, I’ve merely been gathering a handful of brushwood.’ tree →

note

Formal; everyday words: just, only. Comes from "mere" (a mere child). "Not merely ... but also" = not only ... but also.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «merely» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.