not merely

phrase

—used to say that one thing is true and that another thing is also true
He was not merely a great baseball player, he was also a great person.

Examples of not merely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
What Genesis unveiled in San Francisco last week was not merely another step up the luxury ladder. — New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026 The most significant advancement is not merely the expansion of quantum processors. — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 For generations of ambitious artists, New York was not merely a place to live. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Bucci has spent much of the year thinking not merely about producing results but about timing them — when to jump, when to rest, and when to leave a horse alone. — Gemma Redrup, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for not merely

Rhymes for not merely

See All Rhymes for not merely

Browse Nearby Words

not mean a damn
not merely
not mince (one's) words
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Not merely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/not%20merely. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All