1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primary concern for many house hunters is the asking price
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in chief
highest in rank or authority
the movie's primary screenwriter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in preliminary
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
a few minutes of primary instruction in the use of our diving gear before we actually got into the water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of primary
The spacious pack is ultra-functional with a large primary compartment combined with an adjustable compression strap for a comfortable yet snug fit.
—
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025
Burns was the primary speaker in the 30-minute meeting, with veterans Dexter Lawrence and Bobby Okereke echoing his message.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Though the film’s primary love story is between the cellmates, there are also the relationships playing out in the fictional movie musical set within the movie, which stars Lopez as an actress playing both the unlucky-in-love heroine and the diabolical Spider Woman of the title.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Olive Oil Olive oil is the primary cooking oil in the Mediterranean diet.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primary
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 11 Oct. 2025
Burns was the primary speaker in the 30-minute meeting, with veterans Dexter Lawrence and Bobby Okereke echoing his message.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Though the film’s primary love story is between the cellmates, there are also the relationships playing out in the fictional movie musical set within the movie, which stars Lopez as an actress playing both the unlucky-in-love heroine and the diabolical Spider Woman of the title.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025
Olive Oil Olive oil is the primary cooking oil in the Mediterranean diet.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primary
Adjective
-
Howl at hootenanny Ozark Natural Science Center presents the annual Bear Hollow Hootenanny fundraiser Saturday and Sunday at the center's main campus north of Huntsville adjacent to the Madison County Wildlife Management Area.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Oct. 2025
-
D’Angelo wrote, arranged, and performed almost the entire album album by himself, with some additional contributions coming from Saadiq, Q-Tip, and his main collaborator, A Tribe Called Quest’s go-to engineer Bob Power.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That was punctuated by the incident in Dubai, which Raducanu said left her struggling to breathe properly in the immediate aftermath.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the Young Republican National Federation called for the immediate resignations of leaders in the organization exposed in a Politico story to have sent racist, antisemitic and other derogatory text messages to one another in a private chat.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His death comes shortly after a report from the chief inspector of prisons highlighted a sharp rise in violence at HMP Wakefield, according to the BBC.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts, 58 soldiers have been killed, and 30 others wounded.—
NPR,
NPR,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
According to preliminary information from police, the crash happened as a gray Chevrolet Impala drove north in the southbound lanes of Ward Parkway.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Consumer sentiment edged a hair lower early this month to a preliminary reading of 55, the University of Michigan said Friday — a weak level rarely seen in the post-World War II era.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Earlier this year, China and India agreed to resume direct flights, which had been suspended since the COVID pandemic.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Pino is more technically adept than Sarr, a threat with his direct, intelligent runs in behind back lines and his calm finishing.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The 2019 Nationals aren’t even the foremost road warriors of the last few years.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Olivier Wenden is Vice Chairman & CEO, Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, one of the world’s foremost philanthropic institutions dedicated to environmental conservation.—
Olivier Wenden,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Those preparatory projects included the installation of new capping roofs to weatherproof the buildings for a long period of care and maintenance, as well as the rerouting of electrical supplies and de-planting of boiler equipment.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Oct. 2025
-
These are showcased alongside engravers’ prints and unpublished documents, such as preparatory Polaroids and test prints annotated by Avedon.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Aspen groves are not as predominant here and hikers will find a wider array of colors due to the range of deciduous tree varieties fed by additional moisture from springs and creeks.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The predominant narrative among many springs scientists, advocates and government officials is that rising nitrate levels in springs over the past few decades fuels the growth of excess algae.—
Christopher F. Meindl,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primary. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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