# simply

Pronunciation: say "SIM-plee" /ˈsɪmpli/

## Adverb

1. Merely; only, used to limit something to nothing more than what is stated.
   - Simple: Only, and nothing more than that.
   - _The note simply said she had gone home for the weekend._
   - _They simply asked for a few more days to finish the work._
2. In a simple, plain, or straightforward way, without decoration, cleverness, or complication.
   - Simple: In an easy, plain way, with nothing extra and nothing hard to understand.
   - _The cabin was simply decorated, with bare wooden walls and no curtains._
   - _He laid out the rules simply, so the youngest players could follow._
3. Absolutely; positively, used to add emphasis to a statement.
   - Simple: Used to make a statement stronger, meaning truly or completely.
   - _The view from the summit was simply breathtaking._
   - _Her performance was simply the best of the entire evening._

## Other meanings

- (adverb) Foolishly; in a way that shows little sense or understanding.

## Origin

Formed as simple + -ly, it appears in Middle English as symplely or symply; haplology cut the awkward *-lely down to plain -ly.

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