PREFERABLY Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

preferably

adverb

ˈpre-f(ə-)rə-blē

Definition of preferably next

as in rather

by choice or preference I like football, but preferably watching from the stands rather than being down on the field

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 preferably At the end of the day, though, Hernández wants to be healthy, preferably in Los Angeles. —

Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026 They can be dressed up with a chic skirt and jewelry, or down with a pair of denim, preferably in the same wash. —

Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 14 May 2026 But there’s pleasure in staying put in town too, preferably eating fish and chips at Lewis’ Seafood Restaurant and watching the light shift over the North Sea. —

Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 May 2026 Researchers from University College London (UCL) found that at least a weekly dose of art—preferably of diverse forms and types—made people on average about a year younger, as suggested by changes to DNA and in terms of overall health, than those who rarely treated themselves to the creative arts. —

Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for preferably

Recent Examples of Synonyms for preferably

Adverb

That means viewership around such stuff is smaller, and the networks need to show that ads are reaching not the most people, but rather the most likely people to be interested in a bottle of soda, a specific kind of running shoe, or a new weight-loss drug.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 May 2026
That’s because the government’s gas tax isn’t collected right at the pump, but rather at the wholesale level.

— Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026