mostly

adverb

most·​ly ˈmōst-lē How to pronounce mostly (audio)
: for the greatest part : mainly

Examples of mostly in a Sentence

the weather this month has been mostly mild
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Asked about the review published in August, which included his group’s JAMA study, Lee says its conclusions were flawed because it was based on mostly flawed studies. Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 23 Sep. 2025 The organization said the mass killings appeared to be part of a military campaign against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a mostly Rwandan Hutu armed group that HRW says is formed by participants in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, and other opposing armed groups. Sarah Dean, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2025 The 80-spot parking lot was about two-thirds full, mostly with Teslas. Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025 For years, Sacramento had sparsely used the structures to house homeless people and relied mostly on congregate shelters and its motel shelter program. Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mostly

Word History

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mostly was in 1563

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mostly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mostly. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

mostly

adverb
most·​ly ˈmōst-lē How to pronounce mostly (audio)
: for the greatest part : mainly

More from Merriam-Webster on mostly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!