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
S. P. B. Mais2
: in the first place : 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
Algae need nitrogen and phosphorus to grow, and the Reflecting Pool is primarily fed by the Potomac River, which gets heavy doses of those nutrients from nearby urban and agricultural lands.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
The resolution wasn't a single winner -it was a set of interoperability standards, primarily SSL/TLS for trust and the card network protocols for settlement, that let the entire ecosystem scale without requiring every player to rebuild from scratch.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
He is primarily focused on documentary cinema and observational filmmaking.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 19 June 2026
Bathing is one of humanity’s most ancient self-care rituals, but modern innovations—running water, the rush to get out of the house in the morning—have reduced it to a primarily hygienic routine.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for primarily
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Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2026
The resolution wasn't a single winner -it was a set of interoperability standards, primarily SSL/TLS for trust and the card network protocols for settlement, that let the entire ecosystem scale without requiring every player to rebuild from scratch.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
He is primarily focused on documentary cinema and observational filmmaking.
—Ed Meza, Variety, 19 June 2026
Bathing is one of humanity’s most ancient self-care rituals, but modern innovations—running water, the rush to get out of the house in the morning—have reduced it to a primarily hygienic routine.
—Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 19 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for primarily
Cite this Entry
“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primarily. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
primarily
adverb
pri·mar·i·ly
prī-ˈmer-ə-lē
1
: for the most part : chiefly
2
: in the first place : originally
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