only
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈəʊn.li/
note: in fast speech
ipa: /ˈəʊn.i/
ipa: /ˈɑːn.li/
ipa: /ˈoʊn.li/
ipa: [ˈoːn.li]
ipa: [ˈɔːn.lɪ]
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈonli/
note: Indic
ipa: /(w)ɵnˈli/
note: "one-ly"
ipa: /ˈwanli/
rhymes: -əʊnli
Forms: form: onely
form: onlie
Etymology: From Middle English oonly, only, from Old English ānlīċ, ǣnlīċ (“only; singular; solitary”), from Proto-Germanic *ainalīkaz, 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.
Senses: examples: text: He is the only doctor for miles.
text: The only people in the stadium were the fans: no players, coaches, or officials.
text: He was the only male in attendance at the boyband concert.
text: That was the only time I went to Turkey.
text: The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile. Only the city zoo offers greater species diversity.
ref: 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects […]”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:
glosses: Alone in a category.
examples: text: Motley's the only wear.
ref: c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
text: But as to uſquebagh; ah long life to the liquor—it is an exhilirator of the bovvels, and a ſtomatic to the head; I ſay, Mr. Preſident, it invigorates, it ſtimulates, it—in ſhort it is the onlieſt liquor of life, and no man alive vvill die vvhilſt he drinks it.
ref: 1762, [Samuel] Foote, The Orators. […], Dublin: […] Thomas Richey, […], →OCLC, Act III, page 54:
text: The baron had taken a great liking to the Americans and to their ways of doing things, and frequently asserted that America was the only place to live.
ref: 1888, United States. Department of State, Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, page 316:
text: "People say there's other games," Jack had said to Cassie at Small Falls earlier that day. "But baseball's the only game."
ref: 2015, Mike Lupica, The Only Game, →ISBN, pages 58–59:
glosses: Singularly superior; the best.
examples: text: He is their only son, in fact, an only child.
text: To DAD ¶ who only reared twelve children ¶ and ¶ To MOTHER ¶ who reared twelve only children
ref: 1949, Frank B[unker] Gilbreth, Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication
glosses: Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.
examples: text: I know some who wittingly have drawne both profit and preferment from cuckoldrie, the only name whereof is so yrksome and bail-ful to so many men.
ref: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 40, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
glosses: Mere.
Synonyms: sense: alone in a category
word: sole
word: lone
word: sole
sense: singularly superior
word: peerless
sense: singularly superior
word: unequaled
sense: singularly superior
word: nonpareil
Hyponyms: client-only
server-only
Derived terms: abstinence only
a chain is only as strong as its weakest link
almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades
beauty is only skin deep
beauty is only skin-deep
ciphertext-only attack
close only counts in horseshoes
close only counts in horseshoes and darts
close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades
driver-only operation
ears-only
eyes-only
face only a mother could love
face that only a mother could love
for your eyes only
freight-only
Goddess only knows
God only knows
ha ha only serious
heaven only knows
if only
if only the czar knew
if only the tsar knew
I only work here
it's only a matter of time
it's only a question of time
it wasn't only only
KJV-onlyer
Lord only knows
not only … but also
one and only
onlier
onliness
only a mother could love
only-begotten
onlyborn
only child
only daughter
only dead fish go with the flow
onlyer
only fools and horses work
only game in town
onlyhood
only if
only in Ohio
only just
only move
only Nixon can go to China
only Nixon could go to China
only son
only the good die young
only time will tell
only too
producer-only market
programmable read only memory
programmable read-only memory
read-only
read-only access
read only memory
read-only memory
regrets only
seat only
standing room only
television receive-only
they're only after one thing
write-only
write-only memory
you only get what you give
you only go around once
you only go around once in life
you only live once
you're only as good as your last shift