merest
- 1Superlative of mere.
The merest suggestion of criticism seemed to wound him deeply.
Only the merest trace of perfume still lingered in the empty room.
Note
A superlative that shrinks rather than magnifies: the merest whisper is the faintest one imaginable. It usually follows the and sits before a word for a small amount (hint, trace, suggestion), often to stress how little it took to provoke something. Railway Magazine in 1953 reported that the merest whisper of an idea brought a howl. It carries the living 'no more than' sense of mere, not the obsolete 'pure' or 'downright' ones.
merest is a form of mere
mere, adjective: No more than what is stated; only that and nothing greater, often stressing how small or unimportant the thing is. Full entry
- Spelling
- mere → merest: add -st
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