chiefly

adverb

ˈchē-flē How to pronounce chiefly (audio)
Definition of chieflynext
as in mainly
for the most part our video collection consists chiefly of comedies, but we have a few horror movies

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chiefly Many of these business owners are driven chiefly by a desire to be their own bosses rather than to become rich, Zwick said. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 There, the war stoked longtime secessionist sentiments, fronted chiefly by the Southern Transitional Council -- a bloc that until 2025 held sway in the south and was backed by the United Arab Emirates. — David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026 The record was chiefly produced by Jepsen mainstay Kyle Shearer, who provides Day and Night‘s most danceable tracks, while Bullion, CJ Baran, Magnus Lidehäll, and more, make appearances too. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2026 That would mean that repetition, rather than representation, is chiefly at stake—a hypnotic ritual. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chiefly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chiefly
  1. mainly
  2. mostly
  3. primarily
  4. largely
  5. principally
  6. predominantly
Adverb
  • For now, Heaton’s mainly focused on something different though.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
  • While Atlanta’s luxury hotels are mainly sequestered to corporate Midtown and Buckhead, Forth’s arrival in Old Fourth Ward brings an exciting luxurious element to the neighborhood.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of mainly
Adverb
  • And today the National Weather Service issued dozens of tornado warnings, mostly in Georgia and South Carolina.
    — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Ticket buyers were mostly older males, a demographic that’s been slow to return to theaters since the pandemic.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of mostly
Adverb
  • Asfaw primarily develops cost-friendly skin care products that target young consumer needs.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Unlike conventional chatbots that primarily respond to prompts, autonomous agents can navigate websites, use tools, and carry out sequences of actions.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of primarily
Adverb
  • Fan largely disappeared from Chinese screens after a 2018 tax evasion case.
    — Lin Ying-Hsuan, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The outstanding artwork of the exhibition, Goldin’s slideshow, largely devoted to candid portraits of friends, many shot in her Bowery loft, remains stunningly raw.
    — J. Hoberman, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of largely
Adverb
  • The whole city ends up bearing the brunt of astronomical housing prices that, whatever their other causes, are principally downstream from a housing market that quite simply cannot keep up with demand.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Treasury officials said the network operates principally from Mexico and Venezuela and has become an important source of revenue for Tren de Aragua, which the United States designated a foreign terrorist organization last year.
    — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of principally
Adverb
  • Some predominantly Muslim neighborhoods on the city's peripheries, with narrow and steep mazelike streets, have high crime rates.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • After seven years of promoting local businesses in San Francisco’s predominantly Latino Mission District, the nonprofit has a brick-and-mortar space that reflects its passion for the neighborhood.
    — Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of predominantly

Browse Nearby Words

chief justices
chiefly
chiefs
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Cite this Entry

“Chiefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chiefly. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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