merely adverb (ONLY)

What kind of adverb is merely?

only, just, and nothing more.

What does the word merely?

Merely means “only.” If you say “I was merely trying to help,” your efforts were probably not appreciated and you’re likely to be stalking off with your nose in the air. Merely comes from the Latin merus, (“undiluted”). But “undiluted” is positive — as in, “that’s the undiluted truth” — in a way that merely is not.