merest

英 [ˈmɪərɪst]

美 [ˈmɛrəst]

adj.  仅仅的; 只不过; 只凭…就足以
mere的最高级

柯林斯词典

Meredoes not have a comparative form. The superlative formmerestis used to emphasize how small something is, rather than in comparisons.
mere 没有比较级，最高级 merest 并无比较之义，而是用来强调极其微小。

• ADJ 只不过;仅仅
  You usemereto emphasize how unimportant or inadequate something is, in comparison to the general situation you are describing.
  1. ...successful exhibitions which go beyond mere success...
     不仅仅是成功而是大获成功的展览
  2. There is more to good health than the mere absence of disease...
     身体健康不仅仅指不生病，还包括更多。
  3. In Poland, the faith has always meant more than mere religion...
     在波兰，信仰的含义向来不仅仅指宗教。
  4. She'd never received the merest hint of any communication from him.
     她从未得到他准备沟通的一丁点儿暗示。
• ADJ 极小的，微不足道的，单单(表示虽小却有重要影响)
  You usemereto indicate that a quality or action that is usually unimportant has a very important or strong effect.
  1. The mere mention of food had triggered off hunger pangs...
     单单提到食物就引起了阵阵饥饿感。
  2. Whenever there was a gap in the traffic the merest pressure on the accelerator was enough to close it...
     每当车流里出现了一点儿空距，只要稍稍一踩油门，空距就没有了。
  3. The team manager has been quick to clamp down on the merest hint of complacency.
     球队主教练很快就消除了自满的小苗头。
• ADJ 只不过，仅仅(用于强调数量之小)
  You usemereto emphasize how small a particular amount or number is.
  1. Sixty per cent of teachers are women, but a mere 5 percent of women are heads and deputies...
     有60%的教师是女性，但是担任校长和副校长的女性仅占5%。
  2. Tickets are a mere £7.50 at the door...
     门口买票只要7.5英镑。
  3. For the past two decades, North Carolina taxed cigarettes at a mere 2 cents a packet.
     过去20年里，北卡罗来纳州的香烟税仅为每包2美分。

双语例句

• These pleasures were inexpensive and unexpected; the merest chance furnished them.
  这不需要多大的代价，并且往往是无意中得来的，一点偶然机会便能提供这种乐趣。
• When we got back for a swim before lunch, the lake was exactly where we had left it, the same number of inches from the dock, and there was only the merest suggestion of a breeze.
  午饭前我们再去游泳时，这个湖跟我们离开时一模一样，码头的水深标记浸到了同样位置，只有极其轻微的风在吹着。
• Snubs hurt him, and the merest suspicion of unpopularity in any quarter rouses him to bitterness.
  冷落会使他伤痛，就是某处的一点点怠慢，也会让他痛苦不堪。
• In the moment when I looked into the cave a little elfin starfish hung down, suspended by the merest thread, perhaps by only a single tube foot.
  就在我朝洞里探望时，从洞顶上挂下一只小海星，仅仅悬在一条线上，或许就在它的一只管足上。
• The merest little thing makes him nervous.
  最微不足道的小事也会使他紧张。
• I'm chasing the merest sliver of color.
  我追逐最最细微的色彩。
• There are warm days in the UK, but you know you're in a damp country when the merest hint of sunshine is front page news.
  英国也有温暖的日子，但你要明白你是在一个潮湿的国家，哪怕有一丁点出太阳的迹象也是头条新闻。
• She compromised by writing as seldom as possible, and adhering to the merest trivialities.
  她采取折衷的办法，尽可能少写信并且坚持写最微不足道的琐事。
• To say that Pablo Picasso dominated Western art in the20th century is, by now, the merest commonplace.
  现在你说毕卡索是20世纪西方艺术最了不起的人物，只是老生常谈。
• That is the merest folly.
  那真糊涂透了。