The discovery of a mere fragment of pottery can reveal the trade routes of an ancient civilization.
仅仅发现一片陶器碎片就能揭示古代文明的贸易路线。
Memoirist Tobias Wren argues that an essay exposing flaws without offering any reflection or growth risks reading as mere self-indulgence rather than meaningful insight for the reader.
From a Cross-Text Connections question · Craft and Structure
Which choice best defines “mere”?
D — Only, nothing more. “mere” means only, nothing more.
Which word means “only, nothing more”?
C — mere. “mere” means only, nothing more.
mere — only, nothing more. In Chinese: 仅仅，只不过.
mere is pronounced /mɪr/.
The discovery of a mere fragment of pottery can reveal the trade routes of an ancient civilization. (仅仅发现一片陶器碎片就能揭示古代文明的贸易路线。)
simple, sheer, bare — all close in meaning to mere (only, nothing more).
substantial, significant — each the opposite of mere (only, nothing more).
Yes. mere is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.
mere(only)