one of the only
idiom
: one of very few : one in a small class or category
That was one of the only times I ever saw my father cry.
This is one of the only places in the world where the plant is found.
Examples of one of the only in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Meanwhile, masculinity remains one of the only frameworks that confers dignity: so much so that it's being used to position a return to manual labor as more meaningful than upward mobility.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
This is largely due to the fact that China is one of the only countries that directly retaliated against the United States, and the president has had some strong animosity regarding their position.
—Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Some in Shiite Iran and Iraq, one of the only Arab countries with a Shiite majority, are balking.
—Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Ukraine is one of the only countries blocking his path to do that.
—Ella Polak, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2025
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
This is largely due to the fact that China is one of the only countries that directly retaliated against the United States, and the president has had some strong animosity regarding their position.
—Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Some in Shiite Iran and Iraq, one of the only Arab countries with a Shiite majority, are balking.
—Ismaeel Naar, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Ukraine is one of the only countries blocking his path to do that.
—Ella Polak, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one of the only
Cite this Entry
“One of the only.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one%20of%20the%20only. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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