Synonyms of chiefly

chiefly

adverb

ˈchē-flē 

as in mainly

for the most part

our video collection consists chiefly of comedies, but we have a few horror movies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mainly
• mostly
• primarily
• largely
• principally
• predominantly
• generally
• basically
• substantially
• partly
• usually
• in general
• normally
• typically
• commonly
• most
• on the whole
• partially
• altogether
• practically
• by and large
• broadly
• overall
• frequently
• virtually
• nearly
• approximately
• somewhat
• ordinarily
• roughly
• rather
• some
• more or less
• much
• next to
• well-nigh
• about
• nigh
• plus or minus
• near
• incompletely

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• entirely
• wholly
• fully
• completely
• thoroughly
• perfectly
• totally
• just
• scarcely
• hardly
• barely
• absolutely
• minimally
• marginally
• unqualifiedly
• categorically

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of chiefly

One unusual thing about the Dead is that the bulk of their oeuvre was penned by non-performing songwriters, chiefly Robert Hunter, who collaborated mainly with Jerry Garcia. — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026

Denise has also been keeping secrets, chiefly about the manuscript for a novel she’s been banging out on a typewriter in the basement, one that happens to be about a woman who fantasizes about leaving her family behind for life in New York. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026

By then, the question of whether Arendt belonged chiefly to German or American intellectual life mattered less than the interplay in her soul between the two. — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Rochlin, who used to work in mosquito control, pointed out that his predecessors in New York were chiefly concerned with malaria. — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026