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

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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 Murray also competes in track and field as a sprinter and long jumper, mainly as a means to help his football game. — Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 Moving a container from one location to another inside a warehouse mainly requires reliable navigation, sufficient payload capacity and long operating time. — Artem Sokolov, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026 Along with fentanyl, the coroner found traces of Alprazolam (more commonly known as Xanax), the muscle relaxant Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine, which is mainly used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but can be used to treat depression. — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 Those teams mainly play at Fort Worth ISD venues, since White Settlement Brewer and Kennedale are the only non-Fort Worth ISD teams in their districts. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mainly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mainly

Adverb

And members of these new churches were mostly not the black-dressed, hypocritical, sour-faced, monocultural figures favored by popular narrative, but often included colorful figures who were sometimes surprisingly modern in their desires.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Seventeen safety incidents were logged, eight tied directly to the device, mostly skin irritation and muscle spasms, plus one fall with no injury.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 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

The state has been using those surpluses chiefly to build reserves and reduce the state’s hefty pension debt, which still exceeds $30 billion.

— Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
Dostoyevsky’s sniveling devil comes closest to portraying the man chiefly responsible for organizing the Final Solution.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 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

The charges stemmed from fighting more than a decade ago between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels who seized power from then-President François Bozizé, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
Another collaboration under The Whitaker Group’s umbrella comes via the Jaide x Air Jordan 1 Low, which predominantly appears in black and white but features a Tiffany blue from midfoot to heel.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 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

No, the Unabomber, a onetime math genius and professor named Ted Kaczynski, was basically a hermit nerd in a Montana cabin who mailed bombs to scientists, engineers, professors, and other elites.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Attackers basically do not need coding skills to launch harmful cyberattacks.

— Eric Herzog, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of basically

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

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“Mainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mainly. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of mainly

adverb

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