only last week

USAGE SUMMARY

"only last week" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to something that happened recently. For example: "I saw her only last week and she looked very happy."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Sign up fOnlyhe best of VICE, delast weeko your itbox daily.

Vice

And that was only last week.

The New York Times

Only last week, I checked up on her.

Independent

It became widely known only last week.

The New York Times - Science

"Only last week we had 400 tortoises come in.

Independent

Only last week did the spotlight appear to be dimming.

The New York Times

New York passed the legislation only last week.

The New York Times

His death in May was widely reported only last week.

The New York Times

Only last week, as he extended the streak, they did.

The New York Times - Sports

Those charges were withdrawn by a judge only last week.

The New York Times

Only last week Mr Murdoch was tweeting his orders.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "only last week" to emphasize the recency of an event, especially when contrasting it with something else or highlighting its significance.

Common error

Avoid using "only last week" when the sentence already contains another time reference that makes the recency obvious. This can make the sentence sound repetitive.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "only last week" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb or clause to specify when an action or event occurred. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is correct and commonly used in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

65%

Formal & Business

20%

Science

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

2%

Wiki

2%

Reference

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "only last week" is a common adverbial phrase used to emphasize the recency of an event. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability. It’s most frequently found in News & Media and Formal & Business contexts. To avoid redundancy, be mindful of other time references in your sentence. When you need a similar phrase but with a slightly different emphasis, you can opt for options such as "just last week" or "as recently as last week". This phrase serves to place an event in a specific and recent timeframe, drawing attention to its recent occurrence.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

just last week

Uses "just" instead of "only" to emphasize the recency.

as recently as last week

Adds explicit emphasis on the recent timeframe.

in the past week alone

Highlights that something happened within a single week.

within the last seven days

Specifies the timeframe using a numerical expression.

a week ago at the earliest

Emphasizes that the event occurred no more than a week prior.

not even a full week ago

Highlights the short duration since the event took place.

as of last week

Focuses on a point in time, specifically the end of last week.

in the week prior

Uses a more formal tone to indicate the previous week.

during the previous week

Formally refers to an event that happened the week before.

seven days prior

Emphasizes a specific point in time, a week before a given reference point.

FAQs

How do I use "only last week" in a sentence?

Use "only last week" to specify that something occurred in the week immediately preceding the current one. For instance, "Only last week, the company announced record profits".

What are some alternatives to saying "only last week"?

You can use alternatives such as "just last week", "as recently as last week", or "within the last seven days" depending on the context.

Is it correct to say "just last week" instead of "only last week"?

Yes, "just last week" is a perfectly acceptable alternative to "only last week". Both phrases serve the same purpose of indicating that something happened very recently, specifically in the week before the current one.

What's the difference between "only last week" and "last week"?

"Only last week" emphasizes the recency or unexpectedness of the event, while "last week" simply indicates that the event occurred during the previous week. Adding "only" can highlight a sense of surprise or importance, while omitting it makes the statement more neutral.