primarily

adverb

pri·​mar·​i·​ly prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 

also prə-

chiefly British ˈprī-mə-rə-lē

1

: for the most part : chiefly

… has now become primarily a residential town …

—S. P. B. Mais

2

: in the first place : originally

Synonyms of primarily

• originally

Examples of primarily in a Sentence

the university was primarily an agricultural college when it was founded over two centuries ago

ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes

Recent Examples on the Web

On Thursday, the White House imposed a 15% tariff as well as price floors on products made from polysilicon, a material used in semiconductors and solar panels that’s primarily produced by China, in order to encourage domestic industry. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026

Several of his acting credits are in international TV shows primarily in his native Poland. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026

There, her work primarily involves analyzing human performance data. — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026

Its venom primarily attacks the nervous system, potentially producing muscle weakness, respiratory paralysis, and death. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

primary entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for primarily

• contrarily
• summarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily
• warily
• wearily
• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• momentarily

Kids Definition

primarily

adverb

pri·​mar·​i·​ly prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 

1

: for the most part : chiefly

2

: in the first place : originally