Only vs Entirely - What's the difference?

only | entirely | Related terms |

As adverbs the difference between only and entirely

is that only is without others or anything further; exclusively while entirely is to the full or entire extent.

As an adjective only

is alone in a category.

As a conjunction only

is under the condition that; but.

As a noun only

is only child.

only

English

Alternative forms

* onely (obsolete)

Adjective

(-)

Alone in a category.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-26, author= Nick Miroff

, volume=189, issue=7, page=32, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Mexico gets a taste for eating insects , passage=The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters such as ostrich, wild boar and crocodile. Only the city zoo offers greater species diversity.}}

Singularly Superior; the best.

* (William Shakespeare)

Motley's the only wear.

Without sibling; without a sibling of the same gender.

* 1949 , and (Ernestine Gilbreth Carey), (Cheaper by the Dozen) , dedication:

To DAD ¶ who only reared twelve children ¶ and ¶ To MOTHER ¶ who reared twelve only children

(label) Mere.

* , I.40:

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.

Synonyms

* (alone in a category) sole, lone * (singularly superior) peerless, unequaled, nonpareil

Derived terms

* if any * if only * one and only * only child * only game in town * only if

Adverb

(-)

Without others or anything further; exclusively.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author= Ed Pilkington

, volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= ‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told , passage=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 strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}

No more than; just.

* 1949 , Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, (Cheaper by the Dozen) , dedication:

To DAD

who only reared twelve children

and

To MOTHER

who reared twelve only children

* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)

, chapter=20 citation , passage=‘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.’}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-22, volume=407, issue=8841, page=70, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Engineers of a different kind , passage=Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.}}

As recently as.

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Yesterday’s fuel , passage=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 barrels of crude fetched $18 (around $450 at today’s prices).}}

(obsolete) Above all others; particularly.

* Marston

his most only elected mistress

Derived terms

* if and only if * only if

Conjunction

(English Conjunctions)

Under the condition that; but.

However.

But for the fact that; except.

Statistics

Noun

(onlies)

(rare) only child

* 2013 , Sybil L. Hart, ?Maria Legerstee, Handbook of Jealousy

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.

Anagrams

* * 100 English basic words English coordinating conjunctions English focus adverbs 1000 English basic words

entirely

English

Alternative forms

* entierly (chiefly archaic) * intirely (archaic or nonstandard)

Adverb

(-)

To the full or entire extent.

* {{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 15, author=Scott Tobias, work=The Onion AV Club

, title= Film: Reviews: The Dictator , passage=Unlike Ali G Indahouse, Baron Cohen’s failed attempt to bring his most famous character into an entirely fictional universe, Borat found the comic tension in placing his Kazakhstani buffoon in delicate social situations, like a rodeo where he supports the “War Of Terror” a bit too zealously.}}

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Stephen P. Lownie], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/david-m-pelz David M. Pelz

, magazine=(American Scientist), title= Stents to Prevent Stroke , passage=As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.}}

To the exclusion of others.

Synonyms

* (to the full extent) completely * (to the exclusion of others)

Statistics

* English degree adverbs