Meanings
- not comparableAlone; exclusively.
The new chef was solely responsible for attending the grill.
1 more example
This week, officials closed all evacuation centers but two on Staten Island. Now they plan to rely solely on hotels, even as they brace for a new wave of people displaced from storm-damaged housing where they are facing winter without heat or hot water.
2012 November 20, Nina Bernstein, “Storm Bared a Lack of Options for the Homeless in New York”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 04 Nov 2023Synonyms: entirely, wholly, alone, exclusively, expressly, merely, only, purely
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
adverbwithout any others being included or involved
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishsoly
- Englishsolely
From Middle English soly, sooly, soolly, equivalent to sole + -ly.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian единствено, изключително
- единствено (edinstveno)exclusively
- изключително (izključitelno)exclusively
Czech jedině, výhradně
- jediněexclusively
- výhradněexclusively
- pouzeexclusively
- výlučněexclusively
Esperanto sole
- soleexclusively
French uniquement, exclusivement
- uniquementexclusively
- exclusivementexclusively
- seulementexclusively
German nur, einzig und allein
- nurexclusively
- einzig und alleinexclusively
- ausschließlichexclusively
- exklusivexclusively
- alleinexclusively
- alleinigexclusively
Greek μόνο, αποκλειστικά
- μόνο (móno)exclusively
- αποκλειστικά (apokleistiká)exclusively
- απλώς και μόνο (aplós kai móno)exclusively
- εξ ολοκλήρου (ex oloklírou)exclusively
Hungarian csupán, egyedül
- csupánexclusively
- egyedülexclusively
- kizárólagexclusively
- csakisexclusively
- pusztánexclusively
- mindösszeexclusively
Italian unicamente, solamente
- unicamenteexclusively
- solamenteexclusively
- esclusivamenteexclusively
Norwegian bare
- bareexclusively
Polish wyłącznie
- wyłącznieexclusively
Portuguese puramente, unicamente
- puramenteexclusively
- unicamenteexclusively
- exclusivamenteexclusively
Russian исключи́тельно, еди́нственно
- исключи́тельно (isključítelʹno)exclusively
- еди́нственно (jedínstvenno)exclusively
Spanish únicamente, solamente
- únicamenteexclusively
- solamenteexclusively
- exclusivamenteexclusively
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with solely
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
solely. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solely
“solely.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solely. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “solely,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/solely.
Source: solely on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.