merely due to

USAGE SUMMARY

"merely due to" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It is used to emphasize the reason something has occurred or will occur. For example: "The goal of the project was not attained, merely due to a lack of resources."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Jazz's resurgent profile, however, isn't merely due to one rapper's significant influence.

The Guardian - Music

Was his failure merely due to the fact that no New York City mayor has ever bridged the gap from city hall to the Oval Office?

The Guardian - Opinion

(Actually, I assume that this is not merely due to self-preservation. A polite man, Bennett must also be motivated by good manners.

The Guardian - Books

Importantly, the high mutation frequency of the wild-type Cas9 plasmid was not merely due to homologous recombination of the plasmid with the genome.

Nature

My stubborn predisposition to believe in the benevolence of the English government inclined me to believe that the shortening of our performance was merely due to the exigencies of television.

The Guardian - Music

Not least because if difficult decisions merely due to be taken inside central office are being evaded, it doesn't inspire confidence about how they'll be taken inside No 10.

The Guardian - Opinion

"The insistence of the colonizing nations, with America as their leader, on tying Islam to terrorism is merely due to the fact that America considers Islam as the sole obstacle to its hegemony over the Islamic world.

The New York Times - Magazine

This suggests that the presence of water is merely due to umidity of air.

Geochemical Transactions

Our results, however, do not confirm that the uptake is merely due to nonspecific accumulation.

EJNMMI Research

"I was born human./This was merely due to the hand of fate acting at a particular place and time.

European Journal of Futures Research

McNerney's focus on the company's stock price and cash flow at the expense of the long term wasn't merely due to short-sightedness and greed.

Forbes

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "merely due to" to emphasize that a particular cause is the sole or primary reason for an event or outcome, especially when countering other potential explanations.

Common error

Avoid using "merely due to" when the situation involves multiple contributing factors. Overusing it can oversimplify complex situations and diminish the nuance of your explanation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "merely due to" functions as a causal connector, indicating that something is happening solely or primarily because of a specific reason. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

65%

News & Media

20%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "merely due to" is a grammatically sound and frequently used phrase that functions as a causal connector. According to Ludwig AI, it's a valid expression, often employed to highlight the primary cause of an event, sometimes dismissing other factors. Predominantly found in scientific and news contexts, it maintains a neutral register suitable for diverse applications. When writing, it's advisable to use "merely due to" to emphasize a sole cause, while avoiding its overuse in complex explanations with multiple contributing factors.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

solely attributed to

Emphasizes that something is exclusively caused by the stated reason, similar to "merely due to" but with stronger exclusivity.

simply because of

Provides a more straightforward and less formal way to indicate causality.

purely on account of

More formal and emphasizes the reason as the sole basis or justification.

exclusively a result of

Highlights that the outcome is only from the stated cause, adding emphasis on the exclusiveness.

only attributable to

Indicates that the effect can be traced back to a single cause.

just a consequence of

Focuses on the outcome being a direct result, with a slightly less formal tone.

primarily stemming from

Implies that the main origin or source is the specified reason, allowing for other minor factors.

largely owing to

More formal and suggests a significant debt or influence from the stated cause.

mainly resulting from

Highlights that the major portion of the result comes from the mentioned cause, allowing for some other factors to contribute.

fundamentally a question of

Shifts the focus to viewing the issue as essentially about the stated cause, framing it as the core aspect.

FAQs

How can I use "merely due to" in a sentence?

Use "merely due to" to indicate that something is happening only because of a specific reason, often implying that other potential reasons are not significant. For example: "The project failed, merely due to a lack of funding."

What are some alternatives to saying "merely due to"?

You can use alternatives like "solely attributed to", "simply because of", or "purely on account of" depending on the context.

Is it better to use "merely due to" or "simply due to"?

"Merely due to" emphasizes the single cause more strongly than "simply due to". "Simply due to" is more neutral, while "merely due to" often implies a dismissal of other potential causes.

What's the difference between "merely due to" and "primarily due to"?

"Merely due to" suggests that something is caused by one reason and no other; whereas, "primarily due to" suggests that the stated reason is the main cause, but other factors might also contribute.