Only — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

being the only one; single and isolated from others

exclusive of anyone or anything else

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ˈoʊnli/

🇬🇧British English

/ˈəʊnli/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ˈəʊnli/

2 syllables Say it as /ˈoʊnli/.

Examples

the lone doctor in the entire county
a lonesome pine
an only child

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

simply sole just exclusively only when alone entirely lone solitary merely lonesome only if but solely

Parts of Speech

adjective	being the only one; single and isolated from others “the lone doctor in the entire county”
adjective	exclusive of anyone or anything else “she alone believed him”
adverb	and nothing more “I was merely asking”
adverb	without any others being included or involved “was entirely to blame”
adverb	with nevertheless the final result “He arrived only to find his wife dead”
adverb	in the final outcome “These news will only make you more upset”
adverb	except that “It was the same story; only this time she came out better”
adverb	never except when “call me only if your cold gets worse”
adverb	as recently as “I spoke to him only an hour ago”

Word Forms

lonesomeness

noun

a disposition toward being alone

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

nur

der Einzige sein; Single und isoliert von anderen

🇫🇷French

seulement

être le seul; célibataire et isolé des autres

🇪🇸Spanish

solo

siendo el único; Soltero y aislado de los demás.

🇮🇹Italian

soltanto

essere l'unico; single e isolato dagli altri

🇳🇱Dutch

alleen

de enige zijn; alleenstaand en geïsoleerd van anderen

🇵🇹Portuguese

apenas

sendo o único; solteiro e isolado dos outros

🇷🇺Russian

только

быть единственным; одинокий и изолированный от других

India

🇮🇳Hindi

केवल

एकमात्र होना; अकेले और दूसरों से अलग-थलग

🇧🇩Bengali

শুধুমাত্র

একমাত্র হচ্ছে; একক এবং অন্যদের থেকে বিচ্ছিন্ন

🇮🇳Tamil

மட்டுமே

ஒரே ஒருவராக இருப்பது; ஒற்றை மற்றும் மற்றவர்களிடமிருந்து தனிமைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட

🇮🇳Telugu

మాత్రమే

ఒక్కడే ఉండటం; ఒంటరిగా మరియు ఇతరుల నుండి ఒంటరిగా

🇮🇳Marathi

फक्त

एकमेव असणे; अविवाहित आणि इतरांपासून अलिप्त

🇮🇳Gujarati

માત્ર

એકમાત્ર બનવું; એકલ અને અન્ય લોકોથી અલગ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಮಾತ್ರ

ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಆಗಿರುವುದು; ಒಂಟಿ ಮತ್ತು ಇತರರಿಂದ ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವಾಗಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

മാത്രം

ഏകനായി; അവിവാഹിതനും മറ്റുള്ളവരിൽ നിന്ന് ഒറ്റപ്പെട്ടവനും

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸਿਰਫ਼

ਕੇਵਲ ਇੱਕ ਹੀ ਹੋਣਾ; ਸਿੰਗਲ ਅਤੇ ਦੂਜਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਅਲੱਗ

🇵🇰Urdu

صرف

صرف ایک ہونا؛ اکیلا اور دوسروں سے الگ تھلگ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

仅有的

是唯一的一个；单身且与他人隔绝

🇯🇵Japanese

のみ

唯一のものであること。独身で他人から孤立している

🇰🇷Korean

오직

유일한 사람이 되는 것; 독신이고 다른 사람들로부터 고립되어 있다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

chỉ một

là người duy nhất; độc thân và tách biệt với những người khác

🇹🇭Thai

เท่านั้น

เป็นคนเดียว; โสดและแยกจากผู้อื่น

🇮🇩Indonesian

hanya

menjadi satu-satunya; lajang dan terisolasi dari orang lain

🇵🇭Filipino

lamang

pagiging isa lamang; single at hiwalay sa iba

🇲🇾Malay

sahaja

menjadi satu-satunya; tunggal dan terasing daripada orang lain

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

فقط

كونه الوحيد. وحيدًا ومعزولًا عن الآخرين

🇮🇷Persian

فقط

تنها بودن؛ مجرد و جدا از دیگران

🇹🇷Turkish

sadece

tek olmak; bekar ve diğerlerinden izole

🇮🇱Hebrew

רַק

להיות היחיד; רווק ומבודד מאחרים

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'only'?

The primary meaning of 'only' is 'being the only one; single and isolated from others'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'only' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'only' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'only' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'only' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'only' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'only' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'only' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'only' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'only' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'only' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted