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 Japanese laborers had been migrating to Hawaii since the 1890s, mainly to work on sugar plantations. — H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 21 Aug. 2026 Another isolated shower or storm chance arrives Sunday, mainly across southern Minnesota, but most of the weekend should remain dry. — Joseph Dames, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Chase is the call for me, mainly because of Nacua’s escalated injury risk. — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Roman science consisted mainly of improving technologies in civil engineering (water and road systems) and warfare, compiling medical knowledge, and developing tools for specialized uses. — Literary Hub, 20 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

Today, other drugs are more often deployed, chiefly benzodiazepines or the benzodiazepine Clonazepam, which also render a person zombie-like and more reliably submissive.

— Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
Beyond overall car performance, a pressing concern for Cadillac this year has been reliability, chiefly recurring brake overheating issues (below).

— Luke Smith, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

The economic outlook is also largely positive despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

— Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
Other sailors described to CNN conditions unlike their previous deployments, largely because of the war, which stopped the ship from making stops at friendly ports.

— Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 21 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

Browse Nearby Words

mainlands

mainly

main man

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“Mainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mainly. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of mainly

adverb

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