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
Ideally Martin recommends nighttime temperatures no higher than 59 F during the winter and preferably 30 – 40 F so an unheated room or sun porch is a great place for camellias.
—
Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026
And the Orioles are still trying to add another starting pitcher, preferably one at or near the top of the rotation, in free agency or trade.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Pair it with a white blouse (preferably, with an overexaggerated collar), a longline coat, and leather boots to keep the literary mystique intact.
—India Roby, InStyle, 16 Jan. 2026
Onions Most types of onions (like yellow, white, and sweet) do best when stored at room temperature, preferably in your pantry out of direct sunlight and away from residual heat from your stovetop or oven.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preferably
Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2026
And the Orioles are still trying to add another starting pitcher, preferably one at or near the top of the rotation, in free agency or trade.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Pair it with a white blouse (preferably, with an overexaggerated collar), a longline coat, and leather boots to keep the literary mystique intact.
—India Roby, InStyle, 16 Jan. 2026
Onions Most types of onions (like yellow, white, and sweet) do best when stored at room temperature, preferably in your pantry out of direct sunlight and away from residual heat from your stovetop or oven.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preferably
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preferably
Adverb
-
Or rather not sang but yelped along happily.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The historical newspaper clippings speak to her belief that the shooting was not a one-off tragedy but rather the latest symptom of resurgent antisemitism.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
But how many of them — like our old friend the Snake Oil Salesman — willingly gave all of that up for the chance to expunge their lifetimes of trauma?—
Jack King,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The men leveraged their success and used it to attract women, who, their lawyers insist, participated willingly.—
Sasha Pezenik,
ABC News,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preferably.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preferably. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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