1
as in originally
in the beginning
the university was primarily an agricultural college when it was founded over two centuries ago
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mainly
for the most part
ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of primarily
The increases from both brands reflected higher net sales from the company’s Asia travel retail business, primarily driven by a low prior-year base due to a challenging retail environment — including lower conversion — as well as the company’s prior-year efforts to improve in-trade inventory.
—
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
The year was 2013, and Zeev, a former general partner with the venture capital arm of Apax Partners (which now operates primarily as a private equity firm), was working as a de facto angel investor.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Cnbc Contributor, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Even Portugal—known primarily for its postcard-perfect summer-by-the-sea vacations—has a small mountain!
—Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
But not so long ago — as recently as 2023, in fact — the Red Sox were pinning their mound hopes primarily on one right-hander, albeit one whose fastball topped out at 101 mph.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primarily
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
The year was 2013, and Zeev, a former general partner with the venture capital arm of Apax Partners (which now operates primarily as a private equity firm), was working as a de facto angel investor.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Cnbc Contributor, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Even Portugal—known primarily for its postcard-perfect summer-by-the-sea vacations—has a small mountain!
—Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2025
But not so long ago — as recently as 2023, in fact — the Red Sox were pinning their mound hopes primarily on one right-hander, albeit one whose fastball topped out at 101 mph.
—Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primarily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primarily
Adverb
-
Clay was originally charged with second-degree murder.—
Kelsey Lentz,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Robert Townsend was originally announced for the part in September, but the creative team decided to go in a different direction and have recast the role with Romano.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Thursday Rain likely, mainly before 2pm.—
Cheryl Vari,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
27 Oct. 2025
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That is mainly because injuries have regularly undermined his desire for selection stability.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
What Lewis is mostly in Denver to do, though, is block.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
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In fact, Trump’s gripes with Beijing were mostly limited to the amount of goods China purchased from the United States, and so much of his attention was spent on direct negotiations with Xi that tried to address the trade deficit.—
Mira Rapp-Hooper,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Navan’s competitors, chiefly SAP Concur, have been listed for years.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Trump has continued to insist that the DOJ under the Biden administration was used to go after political enemies—chiefly, Trump himself.—
Peter Aitken,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The only exception to that limit would be along the Washington Street corridor, where predominantly residential projects could be built up to 500 feet, according to city officials.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
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Sharing the culture While Fleming’s classes in city classrooms and community centers with the youth are predominantly populated by Black youths, his Saturday classes are usually more diverse.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Today, the fourth and fifth generations are largely leading the philanthropic drive, but the family’s vision and values were evident throughout the 20th century.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The Reddit community largely agreed with her.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
This crowd-pleaser doesn’t principally tell Jarrett’s story, though, but that of the promoter, Vera Brandes, who began booking musicians as a teenager and was not yet 20 at the time of Jarrett’s triumph.—
Ben Kenigsberg,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Our commerce writer Julia Harrison writes that her Moccamaster One Cup is a delight, principally because of its simplicity as a drip coffee maker—free of extraneous frothers or digital interfaces or timers.—
Blake Bakkila,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primarily. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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