only

1 of 3

adjective

on·ly ˈōn-lē

Synonyms of only next

: unquestionably the best : peerless

is convinced that his team is the only one

: alone in a class or category : sole

the only one left

the only known species

She's the only person you can really trust.

: having no brother or sister

an only child

: few

one of the only areas not yet explored

That was one of the only times I saw him cry.

only

2 of 3

adverb

: as a single fact or instance and nothing more or different : merely

has only lost one election—

George Orwell

: solely, exclusively

known only to him

: at the very least

it was only too true

: in the final outcome

will only make you sick

: with nevertheless the final result

won the battles, only to lose the war

: as recently as : not before

only last week

only in the last year did she get recognition

: in the immediate past

only just talked to her

Placement of Only in a Sentence: Usage Guide

The placement of only in a sentence has been a source of studious commentary since the 18th century, most of it intended to prove by force of argument that prevailing standard usage is wrong. After 200 years of preachment the following observations may be made: the position of only in standard spoken English is not fixed, since ambiguity is avoided through sentence stress; in casual prose that keeps close to the rhythms of speech only is often placed where it would be in speech; and in edited and more formal prose only tends to be placed immediately before the word or words it modifies.

only

3 of 3

conjunction

: with the restriction that : but

you may go, only come back early

: and yet : however

they look very nice, only we can't use them

: were it not that : except

I'd introduce you to her, only you'd win her—

Jack London

Example Sentences

Adjective the only way to really appreciate the beauty of the forest is to walk through it that is the only possible right answer Adverb She had been there only twice in her life. There are only two more weeks until summer vacation. It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. Do you really have to leave? It's only eight o'clock. He was only a baby when his father died. Leave her alone. She's only a kid. The building is only about 10 years old. It was quiet in the room, but only for a moment. She is only partly to blame. The club is for women only. Conjunction I'd love to sing along, only I don't know the words. They did have a radio, only it was broken. We wanted to buy that painting, only it was far too expensive. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The only way to mentally recover, Beckham said, was dive right in. —

Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 13 June 2023 Aroldis Chapman might be the only one in baseball who isn’t certain the Kansas City Royals are going to trade him this summer. —

Gordon Wittenmyer, The Enquirer, 13 June 2023 The bandages are edited to be the only part of the photo that’s in-color, a lilac purple shade that matches the cover of Sour. —

Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 June 2023 The only accompaniments are white slaw and a square of cornbread. —

Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 13 June 2023 By 700, the only remaining Britons were small Welsh and Cornish communities in Britain’s far west and north. —

Cody Cassidy, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 June 2023 Gribble says the motorcyclist was the only person hurt and a LifeNet helicopter was summoned to airlift him to a hospital in New York. —

Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 13 June 2023 Southern National was the only restaurant in Mobile to be named a semifinalist for the award. —

Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 12 June 2023 Itzel peeks out from the only bedroom in the home closed off by a sliding door. —

USA Today, 12 June 2023

Adverb

The native of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania died of measles and had only served in the Army about 60 days, the same source said. —

Erica Lamberg, Fox News, 15 June 2023 The 27th overall selection in the 2021 draft played only six games in 2022, his second pro season. —

Ian Nicholas Quillen, ajc, 14 June 2023 Upturning the soil in search of new life will only prevent it from growing. —

Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 14 June 2023 However, Ramaswamy’s 2009 tax returns show realized capital gains of only $37,000, hardly a lucrative exit. —

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 14 June 2023 In part for this reason, Miles and Gwen feel the kind of solidarity that young people can share only with one another. —

Stephanie Burt, The New Yorker, 14 June 2023 By providing essential tools and resources, TIME CO2 is not only supporting climate action, but also creating a community of like-minded individuals and organizations dedicated to making a difference. —

Time, 14 June 2023 Presidents can only pardon people convicted of federal crimes, not state crimes. —

Kendall Ross, ABC News, 14 June 2023 This is only the second federal death penalty case to be prosecuted under the Biden administration. —

Sabrina Souza, CNN, 14 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'only.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.