PRIMARILY Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

primarily

adverb

prī-ˈmer-ə-lē

Definition of primarily

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

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 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 primarily Her conversation consisted primarily of declarations, some more enigmatic than others. — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 While known primarily as a hero, Hal had a memorable stint as the villainous Parallax in the '90s. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Word traveled quickly through the quiet residential neighborhood, which is zoned primarily for single-family residences. — Diamy Wang august 15, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2026 Although Haitians covered by TPS lived all over the country, they were primarily concentrated in Miami, New York and Boston, according to the National Immigration Forum. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primarily

Recent Examples of Synonyms for primarily

Adverb

Macombs Dam Park was originally intended to serve as a shrine to the team’s history.

— Sam Blum, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
The merch was originally made for OpenAI employees to purchase on an internal site, but the team decided to make a small capsule collection available to the public.

— T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of originally

Adverb

The market is still concentrated right now, with US consumers mainly seeing sun-protective clothing in trendy athleisure – think Lululemon, REI and Nike.

— Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Garlic Garlic is a superfood that’s been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, mainly due to its natural immune-supporting properties.

— Lindsay Curtis, HEALTH, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of mainly

Adverb

Mastering the clipping economy Some of Ossoff’s newfound fans know him mostly from clips — one or two-minute-long videos that travel wide and far on social media platforms.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
But critics say the president has not met those expectations and has become unpopular among many of Nigeria's mostly young voters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

One unusual thing about the Dead is that the bulk of their oeuvre was penned by non-performing songwriters, chiefly Robert Hunter, who collaborated mainly with Jerry Garcia.

— Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
Denise has also been keeping secrets, chiefly about the manuscript for a novel she’s been banging out on a typewriter in the basement, one that happens to be about a woman who fantasizes about leaving her family behind for life in New York.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

Another complaint has been that the newspaper has been mostly an aggregator of news instead of providing predominantly original news.

— Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
The participants were predominantly White healthcare professionals, meaning the findings need to be confirmed across diverse populations, the team acknowledged.

— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of predominantly

Adverb

While the good-paying white-collar jobs in the ‘burbs are getting slashed, the substantial workforce Capital One inherited from Discover in the city of Chicago largely has been spared.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
In League Two, tweaks to SCMP were largely thrown out because they were seen as worthless.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

Trade along the route remains tiny compared with major throughways like the Suez Canal and is dominated by Russian oil and gas, which – along with a few other LNG buyers in Asia – principally flow to China.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Some Hoodoo practitioners have begun calling themselves witches, reflecting the increasingly positive reassessment of that term, which historically referred principally to practitioners of occult harming practices.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of principally

Browse Nearby Words

primal

primarily

primary

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“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primarily. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of primarily

adverb

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