simply

adverb

ˈsim-plē How to pronounce simply (audio)
Definition of simplynext
1
as in only
for nothing other than the scholarships are awarded simply on the basis of merit uninterested in food, she eats simply to keep alive

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in just
nothing more than it's simply smart to shop around before buying an item

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of simply The Army’s objective is therefore not simply to create a vehicle that can drive itself. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026 Thanks to the rise of this offshore world in recent decades, tens of trillions of dollars have simply disappeared from ledgers around the globe, slipping into a world that is largely untouchable and untraceable. — Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026 The great Florentine philosopher didn’t simply create a how-to-rule handbook. — Michael Anton, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026 One White House official also said in a declaration that the construction is simply too far along for the project to be safely stopped. — Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for simply
Recent Examples of Synonyms for simply
  1. only
  2. just
  3. purely
  4. merely
  5. solely
  6. exclusively
Adverb
  • That uncertainty has only added to the anxiety for people who see the theater as an important part of growing up in Summit County.
    — Spencer Wilson, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The broader significance is that catalyst design may no longer have to focus only on composition, surface structure and reaction conditions.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of only
Adverb
  • The park, located just south of the intersection of Highway 1 and Tunitas Creek Road, will be open seven days a week.
    — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Our officers did an excellent job removing a violent criminal off the streets, and that was just the beginning.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of just
Adverb
  • The risk of job cuts becomes more real if health systems adopt AI purely as a cost-cutting lever rather than a capacity-expanding one.
    — Mudit Garg, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • These accounts underscore ongoing efforts to improve access for small and mid‑sized importers, pushing back on narratives that the process is purely skewed toward corporate giants.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of purely
Adverb
  • In this case, an autonomous system coordinating up to eight AI agents – carrying out intrusions and deciding what to do next without human intervention – effectively ran a hacking campaign rather than just merely assisting a human hacker.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The rest erred on the side of caution, like a line of indecisive schoolboys queuing up for lunch and merely asking the dinner ladies for whatever their mate just ordered.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of merely
Adverb
  • Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in May that his league was solely focused on a 24-team model.
    — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The ByteDance app, for example, is directing users of its former AI companion service to another of its apps which solely focuses on building personalized AI characters and stories.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of solely
Adverb
  • Musk said on SpaceX's second-quarter earnings call earlier this month that the company will exclusively use Nvidia chips in its AI data centers.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Amid the initial launch of the hydration products, Cooper told PEOPLE exclusively that her team formulated the beverages for consumers on the go given her own busy lifestyle.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of exclusively

Browse Nearby Words

simplistic
simply
simps
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Cite this Entry

“Simply.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/simply. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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