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

The five original Nobel Prizes were created under the terms of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel’s will and have been awarded since 1901, with only limited interruptions, chiefly during World War I and World War II. — Reuters, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026

The costs have been driven up chiefly by efforts to modernize pricing. — Michael Phillis, Arkansas Online, 30 Sep. 2026

The state has been using those surpluses chiefly to build reserves and reduce the state’s hefty pension debt, which still exceeds $30 billion. — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026

Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026