different between only vs unless

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

Alternative forms

• unlesse (obsolete)
• unlessen

Etymology

onlesse, from on lesse, from "on a less condition" ("on" became un-).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n?l?s/, /?n?l?s/, /?n?l?s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Conjunction

unless

1. Except on a specified condition; if not.

   I’m leaving unless I get a pay rise (AmE: raise).

   • 1839, Denison Olmsted, A Compendium of Astronomy Page 95

     Secondly, When a body is once in motion it will continue to move forever, unless something stops it. When a ball is struck on the surface of the earth, the friction of the earth and the resistance of the air soon stop its motion.
2. If not; used with counterfactual conditionals.
   • 1159, John of Salisbury, Policraticus, edited by Cary J. Nederman, Cambridge University Press, 1990, page 3 (Google Books view):

     Who would know of Alexander or Caesar, or would respect the Stoics or the Peripatetics, unless they had been distinguished by the memorials of writers?

   • 1867, William Robinson Pirie, Natural Theology: An Inquiry Into the Fundamental Principles of Religious, Moral, and Political Science, page 75 (Google Books view):

     Unless He were omnipotent, we could not be sure of His ability to bless us.

3. Except if; used with hypothetical conditionals.
   • 1809, The Naval Chronicle for 1809: Containing a General and Biographical History of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom with a Variety of Original Papers on Nautical Subjects. Vol. XXII. (from July to December), Cambridge University Press, 2010, page 482 (Google Books view):

     Q. If Lieutenant P. had given the word "Fire," would you have fired, and at what?—A. I should not have known, unless he had told me what to fire at.

   • 1847, Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Chapter III

     Lie down and finish out the night, since you are here; but, for heaven's sake! don't repeat that horrid noise: nothing could excuse it, unless you were having your throat cut!

   • 1981, Arthur C. Danto, The Transfiguration of the Commonplace: A Philosophy of Art, page 118 (Google Books view):

     Suppose Breugel had done the whole painting with no legs. Then, titled as it is, it would be mystifying, unless someone were to say: the boy has fallen in the waters and they have closed over him, calm is restored, life goes on (as in The Israelites Crossing the Red Sea).

Antonyms

• (except on a condition): if

Derived terms

• precisely unless
• unlesss
• unless and until, until and unless

Translations