mainly

adverb

main·​ly ˈmān-lē 

1

obsolete : in a forceful manner

2

: for the most part : chiefly

Synonyms of mainly

• 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

The rate of global warming may be speeding up, mainly due to a reduction in air pollution, and its impacts are being felt both in hot countries and cold. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 12 Mar. 2026

The Bolt really wasn’t a part of that conversation, mainly because it was built around tech that had now kind of passed its prime. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 12 Mar. 2026

Married Zack Goytowski and Bliss Poureetezadi had one of the stranger journeys on Love Is Blind, mainly because Zack initially broke up with Bliss in favor of Irina Solomonova, who proved herself to be perhaps the meanest contestant in the show's history. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026

The few songs Fike had uploaded online, mainly to SoundCloud, disappeared in time with the signing. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mainly

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