only

[On·ly]

Without any others being included or involved

...

One alone; single; as, the only man present; his only occupation.

Adjective S.
exclusive of anyone or anything else; "she alone believed him"; "cannot live by bread alone"; "I''ll have this car and this car only"

Adverb
and nothing more; "I was merely asking"; "it is simply a matter of time"; "just a scratch"; "he was only a child"; "hopes that last but a moment"

Adverb
without any others being included or involved; "was entirely to blame"; "a school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children"; "he works for Mr. Smith exclusively"; "did it solely for money"; "the burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone"; "a

Adverb
with nevertheless the final result; "He arrived only to find his wife dead"; "We won only to lose again in the next round"

Adverb
in the final outcome; "These news will only make you more upset"

...

Adverb
as recently as; "I spoke to him only an hour ago"

Adverb
except that; "It was the same story; only this time she came out better"

Adverb
never except when; "call me only if your cold gets worse"


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.


Only

On"ly , a. [OE. only, anly, onlich, AS. 'benlic, i.e., onelike. See One, and Like, a.] 1. One alone; single; as, the only man present; his only occupation. 2. Alone in its class; by itself; not associated with others of the same class or kind; as, an only child. 3. Hence, figuratively: Alone, by reason of superiority; pre'89minent; chief. "Motley's the only wear." Shak.

Only

On"ly , adv. [See Only, a.] 1. In one manner or degree; for one purpose alone; simply; merely; barely.
And to be loved himself, needs only to be known. Dryden. 2. So and no otherwise; no other than; exclusively; solely; wholly. "She being only wicked." Beau. & Fl.
Every imagination . . . of his heart was only evil.
3. Singly; without more; as, only-begotten. 4. Above all others; particularly. [Obs.]
His most only elected mistress.

Only

On"ly, conj. Save or except (that); -- an adversative used elliptically with or without that, and properly introducing a single fact or consideration.
He might have seemed some secretary or clerk . . . only that his low, flat, unadorned cap . . . indicated that he belonged to the city.

One alone; single; as, the only man present; his only occupation.

In one manner or degree; for one purpose alone; simply; merely; barely.

Save or except (that); -- an adversative used elliptically with or without that, and properly introducing a single fact or consideration.

...

Usage Examples

'The Christmas Song,' by Nat King Cole, is not only a masterful performance to me it just sounds like the holidays. I've never sung it, because Nat's version is so perfect. I gotta leave it alone.

'Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era,' the Whitney Museum's 40th-anniversary trip down counterculture memory lane, provides moments of buzzy fun, but it'll leave you only comfortably numb. For starters, it may be the whitest, straightest, most conservative show seen in a New York museum since psychedelia was new.

A company is only as good as the people it keeps.

A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.

A designer is only as good as the star who wears her clothes.

A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers.

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy.

'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' is a good one because it not only turned out, I think, to be a really funny movie but it was also a delight to shoot. We were in the South of France, working with Glenne Headly and Michael Caine and Frank Oz the director - who were just fun.

Misspelled Form

only, ionly, 9only, 0only, ponly, lonly, inly, 9nly, 0nly, pnly, lnly, oinly, o9nly, o0nly, opnly, olnly, obnly, ohnly, ojnly, omnly, o nly, obly, ohly, ojly, omly, o ly, onbly, onhly, onjly, onmly, on ly, onkly, onoly, onply, on:ly, onky, onoy, onpy, on:y, onlky, onloy, onlpy, onl:y, onlty, onl6y, onl7y, onluy, onlhy, onlt, onl6, onl7, onlu, onlh, onlyt, only6, only7, onlyu, onlyh.

Other Usage Examples

'Funny Games' was conceived as a provocation. My other films are different. If people feel my other films are, or respond to them as provocation, then that's quite different. 'Funny Games' is the only one of mine where my intention was to provoke the audience.

A democratic government is the only one in which those who vote for a tax can escape the obligation to pay it.

'WASP' is the only ethnic term that is in fact a term of class, apart from redneck, which is another word for the same group but who are in the lower social strata, so it's inexplicably tied up with social standing and culture and history in a way that the other hyphenations just are not.

'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' took a year to record that's why the playing on it might sound somewhat labored. 'Balance,' on the other hand, was written and recorded in only four months, so the whole process was quicker and more immediate.

'Good Morning America' exploited Joan Lunden's pregnancy, but you won't see me bringing my babies on the air. The only reason I'm talking about the babies at all is that they've been with me on the show since I became pregnant. After a while, I had to acknowledge this pumpkin tummy.

A book is a fragile creature, it suffers the wear of time, it fears rodents, the elements and clumsy hands. so the librarian protects the books not only against mankind but also against nature and devotes his life to this war with the forces of oblivion.

"We don't do things we aren't good at by nature. I wouldn't play basketball because I'm only 5' 1"". Find what you enjoy - whether it's racing, flying a helicopter, being a doctor, or stitching clothes together. Once you've done that, you have the passion you need."

A definition of poetry can only determine what poetry should be and not what poetry actually was and is otherwise the most concise formula would be: Poetry is that which at some time and some place was thus named.

"These days the technology can solve our problems and then some. Solutions may not only erase physical or mental deficits but leave patients better off than ""able-bodied"" folks. The person who has a disability today may have a superability tomorrow."

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