preferably

adverb

pref·​er·​a·​bly ˈpre-f(ə-)rə-blē 

: by choice or preference

—used to indicate what is wanted or preferred

The work should be done soon, preferably by the end of the week.

Applicants should hold a college degree, preferably with teaching experience.

Water thoroughly during the coolest time of day (preferably early morning), then allow soil to dry completely … before watering again.

—Michael MacCaskey

Mound flour on a work surface (preferably wooden) and make a large well in center with your fingertips.

—Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Synonyms

• rather
• willingly

Examples of preferably in a Sentence

I like football, but preferably watching from the stands rather than being down on the field

Recent Examples on the Web

Or, perhaps preferably, turn away from watermarks and towards tactics that can positively prove an image’s authenticity, such as content credentials. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Aug. 2025

Extra Tips For Best Results To get the most out of using vinegar in your laundry, here are a few extra tips to make sure your clothes come out soft and fresh every time: Always dilute your vinegar with water, preferably a 1:1 ratio, to prevent unexpected damage. —Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025

What took an extensive natural language processing project now only takes the right prompt with the right LLM (preferably on-prem, so that your data doesn’t train someone else’s LLM). —Zehra Cataltepe, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025

The Philadelphia Phillies needed a defensive upgrade in their outfield, and preferably a player who could hit too. —Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined above