primarily

adverb

pri·​mar·​i·​ly prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 

 also  prə-,

 chiefly British  ˈprī-mə-rə-lē

1

: for the most part : chiefly

has now become primarily a residential town

—S. P. B. Mais

2

: in the first place : originally

Synonyms

• originally

Examples of primarily in a Sentence

the university was primarily an agricultural college when it was founded over two centuries ago

ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes

Recent Examples on the Web

The Palestinians being floated to join efforts to administer Gaza seem selected primarily for their palatability to foreign governments. —Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025

Flights between the two cities are primarily used for connections for passengers flying to and from Tucson. —Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025

Others think of it primarily as a set of computer programs that can answer questions and make predictions about what’s likely to happen. —Veronique Greenwood, Time, 14 Oct. 2025

According to Amazon, Prime Video Pathway has already delivered training for 452 individuals, primarily from underrepresented groups. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

primary entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for primarily

• contrarily
• summarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily
• warily
• wearily
• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• momentarily

Kids Definition

primarily

adverb

pri·​mar·​i·​ly prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 

1

: for the most part : chiefly

2

: in the first place : originally