solely

adverb

sole·​ly ˈsō(l)-lē 

1

: to the exclusion of all else

done solely for money

2

: without another : singly

went solely on her way

Synonyms of solely

• only
• purely
• exclusively
• just
• simply

Examples of solely in a Sentence

His rank was based solely on merit.

You will be held solely responsible for any damage.

She did not write solely for money.

Recent Examples on the Web

But when an event swells to the size of a city — the New York City Marathon had nearly 60,000 finishers last year — climate risk is no longer solely a personal matter. — Vibhu Krishna, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026

Abdy and De Luca represent a filmmaking approach that isn’t solely defined by sequels and CGI. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026

During a separate appearance at the Bloomberg conference, RedBird Capital Partners founder Gerry Cardinale, a Paramount investor and board member, said finding $6 billion in cuts would be relatively easy, and would not be focused solely on layoffs. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Cubs fans generally don’t care about the Sox, so their misery was focused solely on their team’s no-show performance at Petco Park. — Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

solely

adverb

sole·​ly ˈsō(l)-lē 

1

: without another : singly, alone

2

: only entry 2 sense 1a

done solely for money