Merely meaning in English
Learn how to use Merely correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
merely: only, just, simply, solely
I merely mentioned his mother's name and he turned around and left! He can't stand to hear even just her name!
I was merely curious, there's no need to get angry. I only wanted to ask you about your problem, nothing else.
(a) mere (coincidence): (a) simple (coincidence), only (a coincidence)
Examples
- "This is merely a minor surface puncture."
- "-Look what I obtained for a mere 50 dollars."
Exercise 1
"Bruno Delavigne is hardly fit to run a company."
"Hardly" shares a similar meaning with .
"The future doesn't look bright for the Delavigne Corporation." "Bright" shares a similar meaning with in this context.
"The future doesn't look bright for the Delavigne Corporation." "Bright" shares a similar meaning with in this context.
"Bruno Delavigne is hardly fit to run a company."
"Hardly" shares a similar meaning with barely 1.
"The future doesn't look bright for the Delavigne Corporation." "Bright" shares a similar meaning with promising 2 in this context.
"The future doesn't look bright for the Delavigne Corporation." "Bright" shares a similar meaning with promising 2 in this context.
1 barely: This is the best choice here. The terms "hardly" and "barely" share a very similar meaning: "only just" or "almost not". Example: "I barely have enough money to buy food, so I only bought bread and potatoes". To say that Bruno is "hardly fit to run a company" indicates that Sigourney has a low opinion of Bruno's ability to manage the Delavigne Corporation.
1 merely: This is incorrect. The term "merely" shares a similar meaning with "only", "simply", and "just". Example: "I merely wanted to know the time - I didn't want to hear your life story!" This is not the same meaning as the term "hardly".
1 almost: This is incorrect. The term "almost" means "nearly" or "not entirely". Example: "We're almost home now, so you'll be able to go to the toilet soon." This is not the same meaning as the term "hardly".
1 unlikely: This is incorrect. The term "unlikely" means "improbable" or "doubtful". Example: "It is unlikely that we will ever meet again, my love." This is not the same meaning as the term "hardly".
2 promising: This is the best choice here. The term "bright" has several different meanings, and here it means "promising", "hopeful", or "favourable". Example: "This young man is a bright prospect for the future of our company."
2 intelligent: This is incorrect. Although the term "bright" can mean "intelligent" or "clever" in another context, it does not make sense in this sentence.
2 light: This is incorrect. Although the term "bright" can mean "light" or "illuminated" in another context, it does not make sense in this sentence.
2 obvious: This is incorrect. The term "obvious" refers to something "evident" or "apparent". However, the term does not share a similar meaning with "bright" in this context.
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