1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primary concern for many house hunters is the asking price
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in chief
highest in rank or authority
the movie's primary screenwriter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in preliminary
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
a few minutes of primary instruction in the use of our diving gear before we actually got into the water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of primary
In response, Trump backed a primary challenger, to whom Cheney lost in the 2022 midterms.
—
Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025
German police have said Brueckner, who is currently in prison on an unrelated rape conviction, is the primary suspect.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 9 May 2025
The fill is made with recycled plastic, it’s sewn with recycled thread, the primary fabric is eucalyptus sourced from regenerative forests, and Buffy is developing a closed-loop supply chain that’ll turn old comforters into new ones.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 9 May 2025
Training the model may have involved over 20,000 high-end GPUs working in concert—an expense few organizations besides OpenAI and its primary backer, Microsoft, could afford.
—ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primary
Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025
German police have said Brueckner, who is currently in prison on an unrelated rape conviction, is the primary suspect.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 9 May 2025
The fill is made with recycled plastic, it’s sewn with recycled thread, the primary fabric is eucalyptus sourced from regenerative forests, and Buffy is developing a closed-loop supply chain that’ll turn old comforters into new ones.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 9 May 2025
Training the model may have involved over 20,000 high-end GPUs working in concert—an expense few organizations besides OpenAI and its primary backer, Microsoft, could afford.
—ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primary
Adjective
-
Today, the city’s main protection against high tides is the MOSE set of flood barriers that rises from the seabed to cut off the lagoon from the Adriatic during exceptionally high tides.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
-
This means cruise visitors will need to rely on shuttle buses, taxis, or sightseeing tours to reach the city’s main attractions.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Adjective
-
Far from being a costly premium, waterless technologies like CO₂ dyeing deliver immediate, measurable operational value.—
Ken Katz,
Sourcing Journal,
5 May 2025
-
So, the immediate impact would be fairly significant.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 May 2025
Adjective
-
Edward Enninful serves as co-founder and chief creative officer, and Akua Enninful holds the title of co-founder and CEO.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2025
-
That’s because walking, like other forms of exercise, triggers the release of dopamine and other feel-good chemicals in the brain, according to University of Miami psychiatrist Dr. Dante Durand, also chief medical officer at Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital in Miami.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
That preliminary round of experimentation expanded into a larger investigation of how fungi can help heal soil after wildfire, with sites from southern Oregon all the way down to Southern California.—
Lauren Oster,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
-
The competition — which featured 17 total contestants — unfolded this past weekend, with the preliminary round taking place on Saturday, May 10 and the finals on Sunday, May 11.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
Putin proposed direct talks after European powers demanded a 30-day ceasefire, threatening massive new sanctions on Moscow.—
Tom Balmforth,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
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After four days of direct military strikes on the other’s territory, many in the region feared that – in the absence of meaningful international pressure – the tit-for-tat strikes would continue to escalate.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
The signatories of this letter include some of the UK’s foremost experts in artificial intelligence, whose work bridges cutting-edge research and real-world application.—
Philip Salter,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
-
In a society that often equates American influence with might or money or celebrity, now our foremost representative on the global stage is a humble man in white robes, preaching love, justice, and mercy.—
Christopher Hale,
Time,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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The preparatory challenges refer to legacy infrastructure and a lack of appropriate skills to jumpstart the AI adoption.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
-
This month, Rosatom began the preparatory site work to construct a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, which will be the first nuclear reactor in Central Asia and Russia’s first SMR export.—
Juzel Lloyd,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
So the predominant number of that 3,500 is from the Civil War.—
Stephen Humphries,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Schiava was for a long while the predominant grape of AA, yet it was not held in high regard.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primary. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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