mere
Only, or nothing more important than what is mentioned.
Mere means “only” or “nothing more than,” and it usually makes something sound smaller or less impressive than you might expect. When someone says “it was a mere scratch,” they mean the injury wasn't serious at all. When a huge fortune turns out to be a mere thousand dollars, the word highlights how little that is compared to what you imagined.
The word often appears when reality falls short of expectations. A task that seemed difficult might take a mere five minutes. A journey that sounded epic might cover a mere two miles. Sometimes people use it to downplay their own achievements: a talented musician might call her performance a mere attempt, even though everyone else thought it was brilliant.
You'll also see mere combined with other words: a mere mortal is an ordinary human (as opposed to a god or superhero), and a mere formality is something that doesn't really matter, like signing a paper when everyone already knows the outcome.
Be careful with this word. Calling something mere suggests it doesn't amount to much, so saying “your mere effort” to a friend who worked hard could sound insulting, even if you meant something different.