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

Relevance

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 Advertisement Sea Rangers restore seagrass chiefly in the Dutch Eastern Scheldt and French Étang de Berre. — Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026 Larson has clashed chiefly with Bronin — rather than his other two opponents — during the campaign. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 Some industrials are going higher, chiefly non-data-center ones. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 28 June 2026 Tom’s journey to happiness (and, chiefly, Mary) also held another personal element for Quintrell. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 24 June 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
  • Before that, much like Argentina, La Roja had relied on some late goals to get through the latter stages – mainly from Mikel Merino, who struck the winner in both the Round of 16 and quarterfinal after coming on as a late substitute.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • While the area was formerly covered by prehistoric lakes, today the water here mainly exists as seasonal wetlands, gurgling geysers, hot springs, and a hypersaline lake that’s saltier than the ocean.
    — Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026
Definition of mainly
Adverb
  • Iran exported roughly 50 million barrels of crude oil in June, mostly through its shadow fleet, according to an analysis by TankerTrackers.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • So far in the season, Gen has mostly landed on the wrong side of the audience’s favor.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 July 2026
Definition of mostly
Adverb
  • Their tropical cocktails and frozen delights are easily crushable, primarily made with vodka, mezcal, rum and tequila.
    — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
  • Although Chicago had its issues with redlining and massive disinvestment that left generational scars on some primarily Black neighborhoods, the small town ethos held little sway over me.
    — Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of primarily
Adverb
  • Their models still largely hold the lead in capabilities, as well as the hardware used to train and advance them.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • Hilderbrand — who’s written more than 30 books, largely set in her hometown of Nantucket — says studios started calling after HBO’s adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies became a hit in 2017.
    — Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026
Definition of largely
Adverb
  • Oppenheimer’s note was principally focused, fitting for a global strategist, on how equity returns will be reshaped in a new regime.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026
  • The laser targeted one of three ground stations, principally NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Table Mountain Facility in California, with a third, experimental ground station at the Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 June 2026
Definition of principally
Adverb
  • In Boxtown, the predominantly Black neighborhood closest to the facility, the cancer risk already runs four times the national average.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • Lucky’s initial escape through a casino floor is shot predominantly in midrange close-ups, with no experimentation in building tension through unexpected compositions or cuts.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 July 2026
Definition of predominantly

Browse Nearby Words

chief justices
chiefly
chiefs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chiefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chiefly. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on chiefly

Nglish: Translation of chiefly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All