MAINLY Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

mainly

adverb

ˈmān-lē

Definition of mainly

as in mostly

for the most part you mainly need to focus on improving your golf swing

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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 mainly The launch comes as generative production tools make content creation faster and more accessible, a shift that has also driven a surge in programming built mainly for speed and volume. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026 The season itself is in no danger; climate change, mainly caused by the burning of oil, gas and coal, is warming the weather year-round. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Dolphins players who sat were mainly the ones known to be dealing with injuries in training camp, although linebacker Jordyn Brooks did not play and is not known to be injured. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026 Hurricane categories and wind scale The scale is mainly intended to help estimate the potential for property damage. — Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mainly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mainly

Adverb

Mastering the clipping economy Some of Ossoff’s newfound fans know him mostly from clips — one or two-minute-long videos that travel wide and far on social media platforms.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
But critics say the president has not met those expectations and has become unpopular among many of Nigeria's mostly young voters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

The Army's most significant response has been the Future Soldier Preparatory Course, a pre-basic training program primarily at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for recruits who narrowly miss academic or body-fat standards.

— Steven Beynon, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Hancock, who flashed high-level plays last year as a safety, has primarily played as a nickel corner in Leonhard’s new scheme.

— Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of primarily

Adverb

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

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

While the good-paying white-collar jobs in the ‘burbs are getting slashed, the substantial workforce Capital One inherited from Discover in the city of Chicago largely has been spared.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
In League Two, tweaks to SCMP were largely thrown out because they were seen as worthless.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

Another complaint has been that the newspaper has been mostly an aggregator of news instead of providing predominantly original news.

— Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
The participants were predominantly White healthcare professionals, meaning the findings need to be confirmed across diverse populations, the team acknowledged.

— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of predominantly

Adverb

Trade along the route remains tiny compared with major throughways like the Suez Canal and is dominated by Russian oil and gas, which – along with a few other LNG buyers in Asia – principally flow to China.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Some Hoodoo practitioners have begun calling themselves witches, reflecting the increasingly positive reassessment of that term, which historically referred principally to practitioners of occult harming practices.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of principally

Adverb

But with the human element, basically no one has a say in where they’re born, right?

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026
The story explains the philosophical shift in more detail, but new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is basically trying to get time back on their side and be the aggressor.

— Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of basically

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mainlands

mainly

main man

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“Mainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mainly. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of mainly

adverb

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