mainly

adverb

main·​ly ˈmān-lē 

1

obsolete : in a forceful manner

2

: for the most part : chiefly

Synonyms

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

Examples of mainly in a Sentence

you mainly need to focus on improving your golf swing

Recent Examples on the Web

Set four years after the events of the original film, Nobody 2 finds Hutch back at work as full-time assassin, mainly because a criminal organization bankrolled the $30 million Hutch needed to pay back the Russian mob after burning their gigantic stash of cash in the 2021 film. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025

Expect there to be a thunderstorm in spots in the evening; otherwise, mainly clear at night with a low near 81 degrees. —Daily Briefing, AZCentral.com, 16 Aug. 2025

New York State has roughly 670,000 undocumented immigrants, and 80% are in the workforce, mainly in food service, construction and home health care. —Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025

On Friday, Bowden strongly insinuated that Goldschmidt would leave the Yankees in free agency this winter, due mainly to the emergence of 26-year-old Ben Rice as a starting-caliber first baseman. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mainly

• plainly
• sanely
• vainly
• humanely
• insanely
• profanely
• ungainly