The term 'merely' is an adverb that means 'simply, JUST, or ONLY'. It is often used to emphasize the smallness of a particular action or event. The crossword solutions for this term are BUT (3 letters), PURELY (6 letters), JUST (4 letters), ONLY (4 letters), and ONCE (4 letters). Each of these words can be used to express the same idea as 'merely', BUT in different ways. For example, 'BUT' implies that there is something else that could have been done, while 'PURELY' emphasizes the simplicity of the action. Similarly, 'JUST' and 'ONLY' both suggest that nothing else is necessary, and 'ONCE' implies that the action was done ONLY ONCE.