Etimology
From Middle English oonly, onli, onlych, onelich, anely, from Old English ānlīċ, ǣnlīċ (“like; similar; equal”), from Proto-Germanic *ainalīkaz, equivalent to one + -ly. Cognate with obsolete Dutch eenlijk, German ähnlich (“similar”), Old Norse álíkr, Swedish enlig (“unified”). Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.
adjective
only (not comparable)
Alone in a category.
Singularly superior; the best.
Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.
(obsolete) Mere.
Examples
He is the only doctor for miles.
The only people in the stadium were the fans: no players, coaches, or officials.
He was the only male in attendance at the boyband concert.
That was the only time I went to Turkey.
The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile. Only the city zoo offers greater species diversity.
Motley's the only wear.
The baron had taken a great liking to the Americans and to their ways of doing things, and frequently asserted that America was the only place to live.
"People say there's other games," Jack had said to Cassie at Small Falls earlier that day. "But baseball's the only game."
He is their only son, in fact, an only child.
To DAD ¶ who only reared twelve children ¶ and ¶ To MOTHER ¶ who reared twelve only children
I know some who wittingly have drawne both profit and preferment from cuckoldrie, the only name whereof is so yrksome and bail-ful to so many men.
Related words
synonyms
(alone in a category): sole, lone; see also Thesaurus:sole
(singularly superior): peerless, unequaled, nonpareil
hyponyms
client-only
server-only
adverb
only (not comparable)
Without others or anything further; exclusively.
No more than; just.
As recently as.
Emphasizing something that is just or necessary.
(British) Used to express surprise or consternation at an action.
Introduces a disappointing or surprising outcome that renders futile something previously mentioned.
(obsolete) Above all others; particularly.
Examples
In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.
My heart is hers, and hers only.
The cat sat only on the mat. It kept off the sofa.
To DAD
who only reared twelve children
and
To MOTHER
who reared twelve only children
‘No. I only opened the door a foot and put my head in. The street lamps shine into that room. I could see him. He was all right. Sleeping like a great grampus. Poor, poor chap.’
[…] oot of a' six suspects there's not one that's been proved to ha' been nigh the place where the corpse was found, only Mr Graham.
Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.
The cat only sat on the mat. It didn't scratch it.
If there were only one more ticket!
Only yesterday did I feed you with bread for your bodies; today I offer you the bread of life for your hungry souls.
The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first barrels of crude fetched $18 .
He left only moments ago.
It's only fair to let him borrow your kite, after you've had his toys all day.
He'd been belittling her for years. It's only natural that she left.
She's only gone and run off with the milkman!
The van said ‘BURT’S BURGERS’ on one side and ‘BURT’S PEST CONTROL’ on the other. Zoe stared at the van. The creepy man was only using the same vehicle for catching rats that he did for frying burgers!
They rallied from a three-goal deficit only to lose in the final two minutes of play.
I helped him out only for him to betray me.
He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on, with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive.
his most only elected mistress
Related words
synonyms
(without others): See also Thesaurus:solely
(no more than): See also Thesaurus:merely
(as recently as):
(above all others):
conjunction
only
(informal) Under the condition that; but. (clarification of this definition is needed)
But; except. (clarification of this definition is needed)
Examples
You're welcome to borrow my bicycle, only please take care of it.
I would enjoy running, only I have this broken leg.
She would get good results only she gets nervous.
[…] and pleasant it was, only for the dust.
And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away.
Related words
related terms
if only
noun
only (plural onlys or onlies)
An only child.
Examples
Sometimes, secondborns marry onlys and the conflicts are similar.
The consistent finding […] that infants who are onlies do not differ from those who have siblings despite their lesser history of exposure to differential treatment is perplexing.
And in 2016, researchers in China took MRI brain scans and found that, compared with kids with siblings, onlies showed greater flexibility—a measurement of creativity—but lower agreeableness.