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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Bernstein downgrades Palo Alto Networks, Okta and SentinelOne to market perform from outperform Bernstein downgraded several cyber security stocks mainly on valuation. — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026 Metcalfe writes mainly about science, space, archaeology, Earth and the oceans. — Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026 In 2025, American companies exported about US$54 billion in goods to Brazil, mainly refined fuel, aircraft parts, industrial machinery, fertilizer and electronics. — Filipe Mendonça, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026 An isolated shower can't be ruled out Friday and Saturday but both days appear mainly dry. — Rachael Jay, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mainly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mainly

Adverb

The rest of the women have pretty much accepted Vicki’s temperament by now and mostly operate around her, enjoying the refreshing Miami energy after the bumpiness of the previous parties.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
The film’s cast is mostly made up of tribal non-actors, but Anghlong Konyak is its captivating center, as a man whose stubbornness against change sits alongside a lingering grief over his fading way of life.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

The resort is adults-only and designed primarily for couples rather than groups, with bookings limited to two rooms with two guests per room.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Sep. 2026
Reinhart’s character, Olive Smith, is primarily seen wearing her lab coat, but outside of the laboratory, she is dressed in red, blue and green outfits.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of primarily

Adverb

Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Many of these business owners are driven chiefly by a desire to be their own bosses rather than to become rich, Zwick said.

— Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

Vargo has largely self-funded her run for commissioner through personal loans to her campaign totaling more than $77,000, according to campaign finance records.

— Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
The review has intensified debate over Israel’s claims that some slain reporters were militants, as foreign journalists remain largely barred from entering Gaza.

— Joseph Krauss, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

In 2020, researchers described nearly 1,000 independent horizontal transfer events in 307 vertebrate genomes, predominantly in fish.

— Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026
Cousins then directed a three-play, 43-second drive that ended with White’s second TD catch and a 24-14 lead in front of a raucous, predominantly Raiders-supporting crowd at SoFi Stadium.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of predominantly

Adverb

Pretoria wants American investors to build smelters, factories, and processing facilities in South Africa, rather than relying principally on conventional offtake agreements with local mines.

— Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Federal regulators already treat it differently from many other digital assets, and the legislation was principally intended to create a broader framework governing how cryptocurrencies are issued, sold and regulated.

— Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of principally

Adverb

Guest speakers are generally informed and enthusiastic, offering lectures relating to the culture and history of the sailing region.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
This is on top of Perez Hilton and plenty of other sites (Gawker included) that would just flat-out insult people, draw nasty things on their pictures, and just generally malign them.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of generally

Browse Nearby Words

mainlands

mainly

main man

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mainly. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of mainly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

confabulate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes