largely

adverb

large·​ly ˈlärj-lē 

: in a large manner

especially : to a large extent : mostly, primarily

words largely unknown a decade ago

Synonyms of largely

• mostly
• mainly
• primarily
• chiefly
• predominantly
• principally
• basically
• generally

Examples of largely in a Sentence

The story is largely true.

He is largely responsible for the problem.

The economy is based largely on farming.

Recent Examples on the Web

San Francisco dropped its regular season finale Saturday night to the Seattle Seahawks, 13-3, largely because of the offense’s inability to score against Seattle’s top-flight defense, despite averaging 42 points per game over the previous three weeks. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026

Payments largely depend on a recipient’s retirement age. —Asher Notheis, The Washington Examiner, 4 Jan. 2026

Roads typically filled with runners and cyclists sat largely empty and Venezuela’s presidential palace was guarded by armed civilians and members of the military. —Regina Garcia Cano, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026

After appearing in 12 games, largely as a reserve guard, Harkey was one of the kids from CU’s 2022 recruiting class swept out in the great Deion Sanders roster purge during the spring of 2023. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

largely

adverb

large·​ly ˈlärj-lē 

1

: generally sense 1

the story is largely true

2

: in a great amount

tipped the waiter largely