only

• He is the only doctor for miles.
• The only people in the stadium were the fans: no players, coaches, or officials.
• He was the only male in attendance at the boyband concert.

Synonyms: lone sole individual first and last one one and only only single singular solitary unitary

• Motley's the only wear. - 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]...
• 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...
• 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. - 1888, United States. Department of State, Papers Relating to the...

Synonyms: nonpareil peerless unequaled alone azygous incomparable matchless only singular sui generis unique unparalleled unmatched unrivalled

• He is their only son, in fact, an only child.
• To DAD ¶ who only reared twelve children ¶ and ¶ To MOTHER ¶ who reared twelve only children - 1949, Frank B[unker] Gilbreth, Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication

• 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. - 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 40, in John Florio, transl., The...

Synonyms: alone simple very bare just mere only

• In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once...
• My heart is hers, and hers only.
• I threw out only him.

• To DAD who only reared twelve children and To MOTHER who reared twelve only children - 1949, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Cheaper by the Dozen, dedication
• ‘No. I only opened the door a foot and put my head in. The street lamps shine into that room. I could see him. He was all right. Sleeping like a great grampus. Poor, poor chap.’ - 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in...
• […] oot of a' six suspects there's not one that's been proved to ha' been nigh the place where the corpse was found, only Mr Graham. - 1931, Dorothy L Sayers, chapter 24, in The Five Red Herrings:

• c. 1924-1955, anonymous, The Urantia Book Only yesterday did I feed you with bread for your bodies; today I offer you the bread of life for your hungry souls.
• The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. The first...
• He left only moments ago.

• It's only fair to let him borrow your kite, after you've had his toys all day.
• He'd been belittling her for years. It's only natural that she left.

• She's only gone and run off with the milkman!
• The van said ‘BURT’S BURGERS’ on one side and ‘BURT’S PEST CONTROL’ on the other. Zoe stared at the van. The creepy man was only using the same vehicle for catching rats that he did for frying burgers! - 2012, David...

• Sure you're only gorgeous!

• They rallied from a three-goal deficit only to lose in the final two minutes of play.
• I spent years studying a degree only to learn there was no requirement for such a certification.
• I helped him out only for him to betray me.

• his most only elected mistress - 1604 (date written), Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], Parasitaster, or The Fawne, […], London: […] T[homas] P[urfoot] for W[illiam] C[otton], published 1606, →OCLC, (please specify the...

• You're welcome to borrow my bicycle, only please take care of it.

1. Under the condition that; but.

2. But, except; but in fact.

   • I would enjoy running, only I have this broken leg.
   • She would get good results only she gets nervous.
   • You look like me, only shorter.

• Sometimes, secondborns marry onlys and the conflicts are similar. - 1995, Don Martin, Maggie Martin, Pat Jeffers, Is Your Family Making You Fat?, page 101:
• The consistent finding […] that infants who are onlies do not differ from those who have siblings despite their lesser history of exposure to differential treatment is perplexing. - 2013, Sybil L. Hart, Maria Legerstee,...
• And in 2016, researchers in China took MRI brain scans and found that, compared with kids with siblings, onlies showed greater flexibility—a measurement of creativity—but lower agreeableness. - 2022 November 1, Chiara...

• Just need to replace the filter only.
• “No, you must listen to me,” the other replied. “I am Goh Chok Tong.” “I am the President, even bigger than you.” “President only! I am president of all the countries of the world!” - 2022, Daren Shiau, chapter VIII, in...

Synonyms: that's all nia