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Say someone notices there's frost and ice on the road. "Wow, there's ice on the road..." they exclaim. They then look at the temperature reading and see 9 degrees celsius, "...but it's only 9 degrees outside!"

Is that correct usage of the word "only"?

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  • Yes, in context, it is correct usage. In this case the only refers to the fact that the air temperature is not cold enough to produce ice (at least in theory).
    – John Lawler
    Commented Dec 3, 2013 at 19:52

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Yes, this is correct, "only" on this context means "not at the level implied by the other measurement mentioned." Another example might be "he's taking calculus but he's only fourteen."

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