English Dictionary
Definition of “only”
only (ˈəʊnlɪ
)
Definitions
adjective (prenominal)
- See the only
- (of a child) having no siblings
- unique by virtue of being superior to anything else; peerless
- See one and only
adverb
- without anyone or anything else being included; alone ⇒
you have one choice only
only a genius can do that
- merely or just ⇒
it's only Henry
- no more or no greater than ⇒
we met only an hour ago
- Irish (intensifier) ⇒
she was only marvellous
it was only dreadful
- used in conditional clauses introduced by used in conditional clauses introduced by if to emphasize the impossibility of the condition ever being fulfilled ⇒
if I had only known, this would never have happened
- not earlier than; not…until ⇒
I only found out yesterday
- See if only
- See only if
- See only too
sentence connector
- but; however: used to introduce an exception or condition ⇒
play outside: only don't go into the street
Word Origin
Old English ānlīc, from ān one + -līc-ly²
Translations
- British English:
only
If you talk about the only thing or person, you mean that there are no others.It was the only shop in the town.ˈəʊnlɪ ADJECTIVE It was the only shop in the town.
- Spanish:
único
adj única
- French:
seul
adj
- German:
einziger
adj einzige , einziges
- Chinese: 唯一的 adj
- Arabic: وَحِيدٌ adj
- Portuguese: único adj única
- Russian: единственный adj единственная
- Croatian: jedini adj jedina
- Czech: jediný adj
- Danish: eneste adj
- Dutch: enig adj
- Finnish: ainoa adj
- Greek: μοναδικός adj μοναδική
- Italian: solo adj sola
- Japanese: 唯一の no_posp
- Korean: 유일한 adj
- Norwegian: bare adj
- Polish: jedyny adj jedyna
- Brazilian Portuguese: único adj única
- European Spanish:
único
adj única
- Swedish: enda adj
- Thai: เพียงเท่านั้น adj
- Turkish: tek adj
- Vietnamese: duy nhất adj
- British English:
only
You use only when you are saying how small or short something is.Their house is only a few miles from here.ˈəʊnlɪ ADVERB Their house is only a few miles from here.
- Spanish:
sólo
adv
- French:
seulement
adv
- German:
nur
adv
- Chinese: 仅仅 adv
- Arabic: فَقَطٌ adv
- Portuguese: somente adv
- Russian: только adv
- Croatian: samo adv
- Czech: pouze adv
- Danish: kun adv
- Dutch: slechts adv
- Finnish: vain adv
- Greek: μόνο adv
- Italian: solamente adv
- Japanese: 単に adv
- Korean: 다만 ...뿐 adv
- Norwegian: bare adv
- Polish: tylko adv
- Brazilian Portuguese: somente adv
- European Spanish:
sólo
adv
- Swedish: bara adv
- Thai: เท่านั้น adv
- Turkish: yalnızca adv
- Vietnamese: chỉ adv
- British English:
only
If you are an only child, you have no brothers or sisters.ˈəʊnlɪ ADJECTIVE
- French:
unique
adj
- Arabic: وَحِيد adj
- Brazilian Portuguese: único adj única
Usage examples
He had had the anonymous good looks of male models found in mail-order catalogues, spoiled only by a broken nose.
Jon Cleary, YESTERDAY'S SHADOW (2002)The area is teeming with highly personal gardens, many of which are open to the public only by prior appointment.
Country Life (2004)The injury must only be consistent with the allegation made by an applicant.
Irish Times (2002)A parliament where only Sinn Fein has a worse record of attendance.
Glasgow Herald (2001)We can only speculate whether the infertility of his own marriage spurred this obsession.
Jim Leavesley, George Biro, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)
