as in mostly
for the most part
you mainly need to focus on improving your golf swing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mainly
Its ingredients are mainly organic, local and fair-trade.
—
Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Brown, 37, played 12 seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Pittsburgh Steelers and shorter stints with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Her young character mainly provides comic relief amid tense scenes and is likely to emerge unscathed from any violence set to occur in the show's fictional setting, Hawkins, Indiana.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
But that’s probably asking too much from a movie that’s mainly vying for Oscar consideration — and very well could get it.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainly
Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Brown, 37, played 12 seasons in the NFL, mainly for the Pittsburgh Steelers and shorter stints with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Her young character mainly provides comic relief amid tense scenes and is likely to emerge unscathed from any violence set to occur in the show's fictional setting, Hawkins, Indiana.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
But that’s probably asking too much from a movie that’s mainly vying for Oscar consideration — and very well could get it.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mainly
Adverb
-
Minnesota is also reeling from the ongoing billion-dollar fraud scandal, in which federal prosecutors say nearly 100 suspects, mostly immigrants from Somalia, stole taxpayer money by billing the state for nutrition, housing and behavioral health services that never actually happened.—
Jonah Kaplan,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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For those who go above their hours, Garden City paid out $305,000 in overtime in 2025, mostly for public works and law enforcement employees.—
Scott McIntosh,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The commission primarily opens inquiries in response to tips – and bigger investigations can often take years to complete.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Calhoun pointed to 1982, when the penny’s composition became primarily zinc with a touch of copper.—
Addy Bink,
The Hill,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The performance is forceful enough for this Bug to operate chiefly as a character study.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
They can be summoned via the third-party app Honk, which chiefly is used by tow truck operators to find stranded customers.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
While the company largely stays out of the headlines, Applecart has a leading place in an emerging but discreet cohort of companies and organizations aimed at reaching key figures in industry and government.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Zoey Deutch stars in the film as the actress Jean Seberg opposite a largely French cast, including Guillaume Marbeck as Breathless filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The valley has a predominantly Hispanic population.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
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The overwhelming majority of the students are economically disadvantaged and predominantly Hispanic, TEA data shows.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Of course, bringing the Robertson story to life through that brilliant and vivid sound and music, but principally through incredibly in-depth character interviews.—
Kathleen Rellihan,
Outside,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Located just 480 light years from Earth, this reflection nebula, known as the Taurus Molecular Cloud, is illuminated principally by the three bright stars in the center of the image.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
18 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Andy the Door Bum ended up basically playing a performance after almost all of those screenings.—
Zach Dennis,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Some look like squiggles, zigzaggy lightning bolts or sun rays, but the wonder, marveled Hammel-Sawyer, is how the makers were able to do the mental math to keep the patterns even and consistent, even for baskets that were basically everyday tools.—
Jeanette Marantos,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Carthen arrived on the red carpet on January 11 wearing emerald green Christian Siriano, which showed off every curve, and generally stopped all viewers right in their tracks.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
12 Jan. 2026
-
There aren’t many orchestra conductors in Charlotte generally.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mainly. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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