only
/ˈoʊn.li/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.12 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Singularly superior; the best.
adj
Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.
adv
Without others or anything further; exclusively.
adv
No more than; just.
adv
As recently as.
adv
Emphasizing something that is just or necessary.
Example Sentences
- "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."
Etymology
From Middle English oonly, only, from Old English ānlīċ, ǣnlīċ (“only; singular; solitary”), from Proto-Germanic *ainalīkaz. Cognate with obsolete Dutch eenlijk, German ähnlich (“similar”), Old Norse álíkr, Swedish enlig (“unified”). By surface analysis, on(e) + -ly. * Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: oonly, ānlīċ, *ainalīkaz
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈoʊn.li/
- British English: /ˈəʊn.li/