Difference between merely and only.
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Heya...
They basically mean the same thing, but I would say "only" has a few more uses than "merely".
You can use "merely" the same way you would use "only". Example:
"There was only one cookie left in the jar."
"There was merely one cookie left in the jar."
same meaning.
However, you can use "only" in other ways too.
It can mean, "without others", "alone", etc.
Ex: "This information is for your eyes only."
It can mean "as recently as".
Ex: "I read that article only yesterday."
It can even have a similar meaning to "but".
Ex: "I would have gone, only you objected."
There are other ways too. I would say "only" is a much more common word than "merely", so there's plenty of ways to use it. :)
They basically mean the same thing, but I would say "only" has a few more uses than "merely".
You can use "merely" the same way you would use "only". Example:
"There was only one cookie left in the jar."
"There was merely one cookie left in the jar."
same meaning.
However, you can use "only" in other ways too.
It can mean, "without others", "alone", etc.
Ex: "This information is for your eyes only."
It can mean "as recently as".
Ex: "I read that article only yesterday."
It can even have a similar meaning to "but".
Ex: "I would have gone, only you objected."
There are other ways too. I would say "only" is a much more common word than "merely", so there's plenty of ways to use it. :)
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