# only

Pronunciation: say "OHN-lee" US /ˈoʊn.li/, UK /ˈəʊn.li/

## Adverb

1. Exclusively, without others or anything further.
   - Simple: And no one or nothing else, as in 'only you can help'.
   - _The offer is open only to students._
   - _Only the manager has the key._
2. No more than; just, used to play down an amount, a degree, or an action.
   - Simple: No more than, as in 'it only costs a pound'.
   - _He is only twelve._
   - _We only stayed for an hour._
4. No earlier than a particular time, event, or condition, used to stress that something happened later than expected.
   - Simple: Not until a certain time or event, showing that something happened later than you might think.
   - _Only after three failed attempts did she finally pass her driving test._
   - _The truth about the will came out only years later, when the letters were found._
5. Used with a following to or for, introducing a disappointing or surprising outcome that undoes what went before.
   - Simple: Used before 'to' to say what happened next was a disappointment.
   - _She saved for years, only to have the money stolen._
   - _She spent months restoring the old boat, only to watch it sink on its very first trip out._
6. As recently as, stressing how short a time ago something happened.
   - Simple: As recently as, as in 'only yesterday'.
   - _The rules changed only last week._
   - _Only a year ago the shop was empty._
8. Emphasizing that something is just, natural or necessary, as in 'it's only right' or 'it's only polite to reply'.
   - Simple: Used to say something is fair or natural, as in 'it's only right'.
   - _It is only right that he should apologize._
   - _It's only sensible to check first._
11. Expressing surprise or dismay at someone's action, usually before 'gone and'. *(British)*
   - Simple: Used in Britain to show surprise at what someone has done.
   - _They've only gone and called off the match._
   - _You'll never believe it, but Sam's only gone and quit his job to sail around the world._

## Adjective

3. Alone in a particular category or relationship, with no other person or thing of the same kind; of a child, having no brothers or sisters.
   - Simple: The single person or thing of a kind, or a child with no brothers or sisters.
   - _She was the only woman on the board._
   - _It is the only road into the valley._
10. Singularly superior; the best, or the one thing worth considering.
   - Simple: The best one, the only one worth having, as in 'the only place to live'.
   - _Paris, she insisted, is the only city to live in._
   - _If you want real barbecue in this town, Mel's is the only place to go._

## Conjunction

7. But, or except that, introducing a condition or a drawback to what was just said. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: An informal word meaning 'but' or 'except that.'
   - _Take the last piece, only leave some for your sister next time._
   - _Come in, only wipe your feet first._

## Noun

9. An only child, used as a noun, chiefly in writing about families and birth order; the plural is onlys or onlies.
   - Simple: A child with no brothers or sisters, as a noun.
   - _Researchers compared onlies with firstborns._
   - _My husband is an only, so family dinners are quiet._

## Particle

12. Placed at the end of a sentence to mark something as trivial, small, or undemanding. *(Singapore, Singlish)*
   - Simple: In Singapore English, put at the end to say a thing is small or easy.
   - _No need to dress up lah, we're just going to the hawker center only._
   - _I ask a question only, no need to shout._

## Adjective

13. Mere; being nothing more than the bare thing itself. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An old use meaning 'mere', as in 'the only name of it'.

## Adverb

14. Above all others or particularly, intensifying rather than limiting. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An old use meaning 'above all', as in 'his most only mistress'.

## Origin

Old English ānlīċ, ǣnlīċ ("only, singular, solitary") goes back to Proto-Germanic *ainalīkaz and became Middle English only. The word amounts to "one" plus "-ly," and obsolete Dutch eenlijk and Swedish enlig are related.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/only (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).