"merely"

Hello native English speakers, here is a question.

When does one use this word?
For example, could one say I was merely curious, instead of I was only curious?
Or does that sound weird?

Edit: this thread is merely out of curiosity

 

Personally, I think merely sounds better than only in your example.

 

Agreed

 

Merely kind of implies that there was no ulterior motive. To me, at least.

 

Thank you both for answering. However, merely cannot always take only's place, right?
Because sometimes it just sounds so wrong.
For example, one wouldn't say I don't go to gym to socialize, I merely want to work out?

 

That example works well also... I think how formal the language is makes some determination. In "street language" only would be used more often, they would hardly use the word merely and substitute "only" for most/all instances.

 

People say it means "only". But it originally had a substantially different meaning.
And by implication, it can mean something a bit different even today.So often it can't be interchanged.

Its of Norman origin. So people try and use it in England because they think it makes them sound more educated.
But really its just about the Norman class system that was once in place in England, and has aspects left today.

A little like saying "bigger" vs "larger" and "****" vs "le chat"("pussy").

 

^
I would use it like that. I have the feeling I use 'merely' all the time Probably because it resembles a dutch word which nuancation I find often better than 'only'. But although not in all cases, I can't explain clearly and from the top of my head when it is fitting or not...

 

Oh I see, so it's more of a formal/informal setting thing.
I sort of like merely xD

I never saw you use it.

 

Maybe you noticed subconsciously. I think I use it so often you must have read it at least a couple of times.

 

It's a word I remember from high school, my teacher used it sometimes. It made quite an impression on me at that time.
Don't even try to take credit.

 

I would not dare I am just certain I use it all the time on here

 

You could merely take credit only because you learned it in school.

 

merely and only can often be left out completely

ie

this thread is merely out of curiosity
this thread is out of curiosity

I don't go to gym to socialize, I merely want to work out?
I don't go to gym to socialize, I want to work out?

why add words to a sentence if they don't add to the information.....adding merely or only just implies a more singular reason for an action


totally unnecessary except in a few places imo
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For example, could one say I was merely curious
For example, could one say I was curious

 

We merely want to sound edumacated

 

This reminded me of reading George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language"

 

jeesily George orwell?....I have never read a word of his...i'm not a scholarly type....or a good typer haha.....but I agree with George.....does that make me Orwellian?

 

Nope, Georgian

 

I had to read it last year for an academic writing class. I hadn't realized that he had written anything other than 1984 and Animal Farm, to be honest.

 

Merely means 'just' as well as 'only'.

'Merely mortal' for example is better than 'only mortal'. It implies perhaps that something is less than something else. Or can do, depending on the context.

'Only' is also used to denote something unique, as in 'the only one'. The 'merely one' doesn't work at all.