different between only vs completely
only
English
Alternative forms
- onely (obsolete)
- onlie (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English oonly, onli, onlych, onelich, anely, from Old English ?nl??, ?nl?? (“like; similar; equal”), from Proto-Germanic *ainal?kaz, equivalent to one +? -ly. Cognate with obsolete Dutch eenlijk, German ähnlich (“similar”), Old Norse álíkr, Swedish enlig (“unified”). Regarding the different phonological development of only and one, see the note in one.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /???n.li/
- (UK) IPA(key): /???n.l?/
- (US) IPA(key): /?o?n.li/
- Hyphenation: on?ly
Adjective
only (not comparable)
- Alone in a category.
- Singularly superior; the best.
- Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- To DAD ¶ who only reared twelve children ¶ and ¶ To MOTHER ¶ who reared twelve only children
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- (obsolete) Mere.
Synonyms
- (alone in a category): sole, lone; see also Thesaurus:sole
- (singularly superior): peerless, unequaled, nonpareil
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Translations
Adverb
only (not comparable)
- Without others or anything further; exclusively.
- No more than; just.
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- To DAD
- who only reared twelve children
- and
- To MOTHER
- who reared twelve only children
- 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication:
- As recently as.
- c. 1924-1955, anonymous, The Urantia Book
- Only yesterday did I feed you with bread for your bodies; today I offer you the bread of life for your hungry souls.
- c. 1924-1955, anonymous, The Urantia Book
- (Britain) Used to express surprise or consternation at an action.
- She's only gone and run off with the milkman!
- Introduces a disappointing or surprising outcome that renders futile something previously mentioned.
- They rallied from a three-goal deficit only to lose in the final two minutes of play.
- I helped him out only for him to betray me.
- (obsolete) Above all others; particularly.
- 1604, John Marston, Parasitaster, or The Fawn
- his most only elected mistress
- 1604, John Marston, Parasitaster, or The Fawn
Synonyms
- (without others): See also Thesaurus:solely
- (no more than): See also Thesaurus:merely
- (as recently as):
- (above all others):
Derived terms
- if and only if
- only if
- if only
- only to
Translations
Conjunction
only
- (informal) Under the condition that; but.
- You're welcome to borrow my bicycle, only please take care of it.
- But; except.
- She would get good results only she gets nervous.
- 1664 April 22, The Diary of Samuel Pepys:
- […] and pleasant it was, only for the dust.
- 1931, Dorothy L Sayers, The Five Red Herrings chapter 24:
- […] oot of a' six suspects there's not one that's been proved to ha' been nigh the place where the corpse was found, only Mr Graham.
Related terms
- if only
Translations
Noun
only (plural onlys or onlies)
- An only child.
- 2013, Sybil L. Hart, Maria Legerstee, Handbook of Jealousy
- The consistent finding […] that infants who are onlies do not differ from those who have siblings despite their lesser history of exposure to differential treatment is perplexing.
- 2013, Sybil L. Hart, Maria Legerstee, Handbook of Jealousy
Translations
References
- only at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- Lyon, lyon, noyl, ynol
only From the web:
- what onlyfans
- what only eats plants
- what only we know
- what only eats meat
- what only love can see
- what only has prokaryotic cells
- what only love can see lyrics
- what only occurs in meiosis
completely
English
Etymology
complete +? -ly
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /k?m?pli?tli/
- Hyphenation: com?plete?ly
Adverb
completely (comparative more completely, superlative most completely)
- (manner) In a complete manner
- 1969, E.R. Zumwalt, Jr., Silver Star Citation - John Kerry,
- Lieutenant (junior grade) KERRY immediately maneuvered his craft through several strafing runs which completely silenced the enemy.
- 1969, E.R. Zumwalt, Jr., Silver Star Citation - John Kerry,
- (degree) To the fullest extent or degree; totally.
- 1968 June 8, Edward M. Kennedy, Tribute to Senator Robert F. Kennedy,
- Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control.
- 1975, Helen Schucman, A Course in Miracles/Workbook for Students, Lesson 75: The light has come,
- Keep a completely open mind, washed of all past ideas and clean of every concept you have made.
- 1968 June 8, Edward M. Kennedy, Tribute to Senator Robert F. Kennedy,
Synonyms
- (in a complete manner): fully, totally, utterly
- (to the fullest degree): fully, totally, utterly
- See also Thesaurus:completely
Translations
completely From the web:
- what completely ionizes in solution
- what completely transformed scientific study
- what completely determines a normal distribution
- what completely dissociates in water
- what completely stops periods
- what completely changed the weaving of textiles
- what completely emptied your bowels
- what completely cleans blood
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