onliest
[ ohn-lee-ist ]
/ ˈoʊn li ɪst /
adjective Nonstandard.
only: used as an intensive.
Words nearby onliest
onium compound,
onkelos,
onkus,
onlap,
onlay,
onliest,
online,
online catalog,
online dictionary,
online thesaurus,
onliner
Definition for onliest (2 of 2)
only
[ ohn-lee ]
/ ˈoʊn li /
adverb
adjective
conjunction
but (introducing a single restriction, restraining circumstance, or the like): I would have gone, only you objected.
Older Use.
except; but: Only for him you would not be here.
usage note for only
The placement of
only as a modifier is more a matter of style and clarity than of grammatical rule. In a sentence like
The doctor examined the children, varying the placement of
only results in quite different meanings:
The doctor only examined the children means that the doctor did nothing else. And
The doctor examined only the children means that no one else was examined. Especially in formal writing, the placement of
only immediately before what it modifies is often observed:
She sold the stock only because she needed the money. However, there has long been a tendency in all varieties of speech and writing to place
only before the verb (
She only sold the stock because she needed the money ), and such placement is rarely confusing.
Example sentences from the Web for onliest
British Dictionary definitions for onliest
only
/ (ˈəʊnlɪ) /
adjective (prenominal)
adverb
sentence connector
but; however: used to introduce an exception or condition
play outside: only don't go into the street
Word Origin for only
Old English
ānlīc, from
ān
one +
-līc
-ly ²
usage for only
In informal English,
only is often used as a sentence connector:
I would have phoned you, only I didn't know your number. This use should be avoided in formal writing:
I would have phoned you if I'd known your number. In formal speech and writing,
only is placed directly before the word or words that it modifies:
she could interview only three applicants in the morning. In all but the most formal contexts, however, it is generally regarded as acceptable to put
only before the verb:
she could only interview three applicants in the morning. Care must be taken not to create ambiguity, esp in written English, in which intonation will not, as it does in speech, help to show to which item in the sentence
only applies. A sentence such as
she only drinks tea in the afternoon is capable of two interpretations and is therefore better rephrased either as
she drinks only tea in the afternoon (i.e. no other drink) or
she drinks tea only in the afternoon (i.e. at no other time)
Idioms and Phrases with onliest
only