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 In countries where people and goods move mainly by road rather than rail, higher fuel costs ripple through nearly every household budget. — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 10 July 2026 On the left, the argument runs that air-conditioning would mainly benefit the rich and not those who need it most. — Sabrina Weiss, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026 Wegelius and Saario lived in the castle for the entire month of May and mainly served food to guests staying there. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 10 July 2026 Chicago aldermen yesterday struck down most of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s last-minute progressive questions to ask voters this autumn, opting instead for a slate mainly of their own making. — Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mainly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mainly

Adverb

Politics have mostly been irrelevant (well, until yesterday’s red-card controversy), and many Americans have briefly set aside their red-versus-blue differences to rally together in the nation’s swirly red, white, and blue soccer kits.

— Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Hargitay reps a unique choice by NBC and the Television Academy for hosting the Emmys, which in recent years has stuck mostly with standups, late night hosts or comedic actors.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 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

Bouaddi was born into an aspirational family in Creil — a town of around 36,000 people in northern France, around an hour’s drive from Paris, and known chiefly as being where gangster and jailbreaker Redoine Faid is from.

— Tom Williams, New York Times, 9 July 2026
The complaint says Salle’s 2025 painting shares the works’ pose, perspective, clothing, and overall visual impression, differing chiefly in that its subject holds an axe instead of a sledgehammer.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

Giselle Garcia, program director for NorCal Resist, said the arrest data largely tracks with the organization’s own informal counts though emphasized much enforcement goes unaccounted for if families aren’t willing to speak up.

— Mathew Miranda July 9, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
During the war, as the death toll ticked upward in the enclave, search operations for bodies largely stopped, either because most heavy equipment was destroyed, fuel became scarce or many strike sites became inaccessible due to the fighting.

— Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

The 678 cases have predominantly been confirmed the southeast region of Michigan including Wayne County, where Detroit is located.

— Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 6 July 2026
The neighborhood attracted a predominantly working-class community of Black families who lived in modest single-family houses.

— Jena Brooker, ProPublica, 6 July 2026

Definition of predominantly

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

Gabriella paid off most of his entourage to leave him and the band alone and is now basically his own private Joe Jackson, pressuring him to record nonstop.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 6 July 2026
First, Season 4 basically just dropped a lot of characters from the central story.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 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 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of mainly

adverb

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