different between only vs totally

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)

1. Alone in a category.
2. Singularly superior; the best.
3. 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

4. (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)

1. Without others or anything further; exclusively.

2. 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

3. 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.

5. (Britain) Used to express surprise or consternation at an action.

   She's only gone and run off with the milkman!

7. 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.
8. (obsolete) Above all others; particularly.
   • 1604, John Marston, Parasitaster, or The Fawn

     his most only elected mistress

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

1. (informal) Under the condition that; but.

   You're welcome to borrow my bicycle, only please take care of it.

2. 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)

1. 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.

Translations

References

• only at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Lyon, lyon, noyl, ynol

English

Etymology

total +? -ly

Pronunciation

• (US, UK) enPR: t?t'?-l?, IPA^(key): /?to?t.?l.i/

Adverb

totally (not comparable)

1. To the fullest extent or degree.

   Synonyms: completely, entirely, fully, wholly

   • c. 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act II, Scene 1,^[1]

     Antonio. He misses not much.

     Sebastian. No; he doth but mistake the truth totally.

   • 1789, Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, London: for the author, Volume 1, Chapter 2, p. 59,^[2]

     The languages of different nations did not totally differ […] They were therefore easily learned;

   • 1813, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, London: T. Egerton, Volume 1, Chapter 6, p. 57,^[3]

     Your conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you.

   • 1969, Chaim Potok, The Promise, New York: Knopf, Chapter 12, p. 226,^[4]

     I trust him totally and without reservation.

2. (degree, colloquial) Very; extremely.

3. (modal, colloquial) Definitely; for sure.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:completely

Translations