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
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Recent Examples of preferably
Wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
—
Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
What To Know The best place to view tonight's shower is in a dark location, away from city light pollution, and preferably without any cloud cover.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The white paper recommends limiting play to one game a week in the fall and spring semesters, preferably on weekends.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Choose healthy plants, preferably ones with round leaves, such as jade plants.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preferably
Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
What To Know The best place to view tonight's shower is in a dark location, away from city light pollution, and preferably without any cloud cover.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
The white paper recommends limiting play to one game a week in the fall and spring semesters, preferably on weekends.
—Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Choose healthy plants, preferably ones with round leaves, such as jade plants.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preferably
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preferably
Adverb
-
And while handing Ole Miss its first loss of the year was reason to celebrate, things got pretty somber rather quickly for the Bulldogs after learning the injury status of one of their top playmakers.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Mann said Heat 2 would not deal with the events of 1995 in the original movie but would start rather one day after, with only Hanna’s associate Chris Shiherlis, played by Val Kilmer still alive.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
18 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Jan began receiving love letters from Berchtold and willingly wrote back.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The first rule of power politics is that nobody relinquishes authority willingly.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preferably.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preferably. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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