Only
['əʊnlɪ] or ['onli]
Definition
(adv.) with nevertheless the final result; 'He arrived only to find his wife dead'; 'We won only to lose again in the next round'.
(adv.) in the final outcome; 'These news will only make you more upset'.
(adv.) as recently as; 'I spoke to him only an hour ago'.
(adv.) except that; 'It was the same story; only this time she came out better'.
(adv.) never except when; 'call me only if your cold gets worse'.
Edited by Annabel--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) One alone; single; as, the only man present; his only occupation.
(a.) Alone in its class; by itself; not associated with others of the same class or kind; as, an only child.
(a.) Hence, figuratively: Alone, by reason of superiority; preeminent; chief.
(a.) In one manner or degree; for one purpose alone; simply; merely; barely.
(a.) So and no otherwise; no other than; exclusively; solely; wholly.
(a.) Singly; without more; as, only-begotten.
(a.) Above all others; particularly.
(conj.) Save or except (that); -- an adversative used elliptically with or without that, and properly introducing a single fact or consideration.
Typed by Laverne
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Sole, solitary, alone, single, this and no other.
ad. [1]. Merely, barely, simply, and nothing else.[2]. Solely, singly.
Edited by Fergus
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Single, sole, alone, solitary
ANT:Many, together, mixed
Editor: Sidney
Definition
adj. single in number or kind: this above all others: alone.—adv. in one manner: for one purpose: singly: merely: barely: entirely.—conj. but: except that.—n. On′liness.
Editor: Verna
Examples
- They possess significance only as movements toward something away from what is now going on. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- Well, you're not geese, you're swans--anything you like, only do, do leave Miss Sedley alone. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- I suppose you are the only independent prince in the ?gean? Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- The lad only answered by turning his cynical young face, half-arch, half-truculent, towards the paternal chair. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- He took pains to prove that he only just tolerated me. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- The vestry was larger than I should have supposed it to be, judging from the outside only. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Her lover was no longer to her an exciting man whom many women strove for, and herself could only retain by striving with them. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- Of the species which do change, only a few within the same country change at the same time; and all modifications are slowly effected. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- The large and powerful engines on the Great Western Railway have, however, only two driving wheels, which are 8 feet in diameter. Frederick C. Bakewell. Great Facts.
- There were only these few words in her neatly flowing hand:-- I have told Mrs. Casaubon. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- We can here consider only a few cases; of these, some of the most difficult to explain are presented by fish. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- As yet only China knew of the Huns; there were no Turks in Western Turkestan or anywhere else then, no Tartars in the world. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- I started, but was only discomposed a moment; I knew the voice and speaker. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- By only raising my voice, and saying any thing two or three times over, she is sure to hear; but then she is used to my voice. Jane Austen. Emma.
- His little failings would only have endeared him to you the more. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- And that third person could only have come in through the window. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- He only told me a little about his parents and grandparents, and almost all in answer to my questions. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- The animal was not there at all, only the heavy, broken beauty. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- It has only just rained into them. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- Emma would not have smiled for the world, and only said, Is Mr. Elton gone on foot to Donwell? Jane Austen. Emma.
- He's good enough for the occasion: when the people have made up their mind as they are making it up now, they don't want a man--they only want a vote. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- It is only in the conviction that I may trust you never to betray me, that I can proceed. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- It is only a hostile average-sensual-man background against which the philosophers and poets stand out. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- I have only a little time here, she said, but I would have you to know the whole truth. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Even if water is only moderately hard, much soap is lost. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- Southey spoke of him as a miraculous young man, at whose talents he could only wonder. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- By no means, Alexandros; for by so doing we would close up the only avenue of escape left to us. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- So I am; but it is only a snip. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- I can only suppose now, that it was a part of his policy, as a very clever man, habitually to deceive his own instruments. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- The ceiling was only a foot or two above my head, and with my hand upraised I could feel its hard, rough surface. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Editor: Verna