Dictionary entry

Merely

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Mere″ly, adv. 1. Purely; unmixedly; absolutely.

Ulysses was to force forth his access,

Though merely naked. Chapman.

2. Not otherwise than; simply; barely; only.

Prize not your life for other ends

Than merely to oblige your friends. Swift.

Syn. — Solely; simply; purely; barely; scarcely.