solely

[sohl-lee]

adverb

1. as the only one or ones.

   solely responsible.

2. exclusively or only.

   plants found solely in the tropics.

3. merely.

   She wanted solely to get out of the house for a while.

solely

/ ˈsəʊllɪ /

adverb

1. only; completely; entirely

2. without another or others; singly; alone

3. for one thing only

Word History and Origins

Origin of solely¹

First recorded in 1485–95; sole ¹ + -ly

Example Sentences

But the UK's Civil Aviation Authority has played down the significance of GPS jamming, says aircrafts' navigation systems do not rely solely on GPS and so interference should not affect their direct navigation.

From BBC

The team has lost the two postseason games it has played with Herbert as its quarterback, but Herbert wasn’t solely responsible for the results.

From Los Angeles Times

The brief airing of their differences was unusual, coming solely at the behest of your friendly columnist.

From Los Angeles Times

Badenoch is to formally announce the plan to focus solely on "maximising extraction" and to get "all our oil and gas out of the North Sea" in a speech in Aberdeen on Tuesday.

From BBC

Her order prohibits agents from relying solely on those factors to establish reasonable suspicion to detain people.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• completely 
• entirely 
• exclusively 
• individually 
• merely 
• purely 
• simply 
• single-handedly 
• totally 
• wholly