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 Florida Lottery big money draw game luck fell mainly on South Florida Wednesday and Thursday , with three of the four jackpot winners playing in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Miramar. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 Seniors Jaylen Smith and Sebastian Hartmann lead an entirely new roster, with nine freshman (mainly local products), five transfers and international flair all over. — Pj Green october 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026 Kern rehired La Perla’s 220 seamstresses with the goal to keep manufacturing the brand in Italy, mainly in the Bologna headquarters. — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 So a lot of it was mainly just me and Steven interacting with each other. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mainly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mainly

Adverb

From SportsCenter star to CEO Eisen, 57, worked for ESPN from 1996 to 2003, mostly anchoring SportsCenter during the show’s cultural peak.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Throughout the 1980s, ‘90s and into the early 2000s, top schools played their exhibitions against elite amateur teams made up mostly of former college athletes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

More missiles, many more options This would significantly expand the ship’s ability to protect an entire naval task group, rather than primarily concentrating on defending itself and nearby assets.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Helium is primarily produced as a byproduct of natural gas processing.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of primarily

Adverb

Billionaires have poured hundreds of millions into super political action committees (super PACs) for campaign ads—chiefly supporting Republican candidates in tight Senate races.

— Connor Greene, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Long before launch, the team faced obstacles that nearly thwarted the endeavor — chiefly, two rejections from NASA — before finally securing the green light for the $1 billion project under the New Frontiers Program in 2011.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

But the one question that has come up time and again -- what to do with drivers whose jobs would be eliminated -- remains largely unanswered.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
That is enough for engineering, because engineering is largely a text-generation problem.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

As the military-style helicopter hovered above them, attendees from the rural, predominantly Latino community, began to get nervous.

— Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
While bold in its coloring, the new Santa style isn’t the first time Michael Jordan’s classic Air Jordan 3 has been given a predominantly red makeover.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of predominantly

Adverb

Both the founders had worked at other New York galleries, Klein principally with Bertrand Delacroix and Massey at Mulherin and Pollard.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
At the beginning of this century, Andermatt was a quiet settlement in the Ursern Valley, known principally to committed skiers, mountaineers and the Swiss military.

— Nick Scott, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of principally

Adverb

These are basically less privileged neighborhoods where the government is meant to show a greater focus on education by employing more teachers and so on.

— Elektra Kotsoni, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Brody and Chang have seen them all (basically), and have some guiding thoughts to share, below.

— Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of basically

Adverb

Outgoing ranking members Angie Craig of Minnesota and Nydia Velázquez of New York are also behind, though retiring members and frontliners generally don’t pay dues in full.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Southern accented candidates are generally heard as more conservative than those without a Southern accent, particularly to Democratic listeners.

— Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of generally

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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 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of mainly

adverb

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