1. merely
Are you certain that you lost your book, or did you merely misplace it?
merely existing
A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.
Just as it is better to illuminate than merely to shine, so to pass on what one has contemplated is better than merely to contemplate.
Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end.
Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.
When he claims to desire eternal life, in reality man merely wishes to avoid a premature, violent or gruesome death.
Superstitions derive from the inability of men to acknowledge that coincidences are merely coincidences.
There is also one type of idealism that says even without strength or intelligence you can do anything if you can merely persist.
As soon as we are born, the world gets to work on us and transforms us from merely biological into social units.
Truth burns and destroys all elements, showing that they are merely its shadow.
Men are by nature merely indifferent to one another; but women are by nature enemies.
Japanese students seem not merely to be extremely reserved, but to have at times almost a complete reluctance to speak.
We need to separate the brilliant candidates from the merely very good.
Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it.
2. only
Only time will tell.
When applying to American universities, your TOEFL score is only one factor.
The only trouble I've ever had was dealing with people who didn't like my personality.
It's presumptuous for humans to assume that our task is to do what only God can do.
Only those who risk going too far will know how far one can go.
Although rainforests make up only two percent of the earth's surface, over half the world's wild plant, animal and insect species live there.
Roger Miller's father died when he was only one year old and his mother became sick soon after, so he was sent to live with his uncle in Erick, Oklahoma.
Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.
She's only two years old, but she can already count to 100.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
The only thing on the table that I normally wouldn't eat is that stuff on the yellow plate.
Questioned about his policies, the candidate gave only vague answers.
Tom's criminal record consists of only two drunken driving citations.
You say I should know him quite well, but as a matter of fact, I was introduced to him only last week.
Plenty of opportunities will present themselves, if only you are awake to them.