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 Finland and Sweden joined NATO members Denmark, Iceland, and Norway in establishing the Nordic Defense Cooperation, primarily in hopes of cutting procurement costs. — Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026 External revenue rose $118 million from the prior quarter to $411 million, though the increase was primarily due to a non-recurring customer program. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026 The company said the lower loss was driven primarily by higher delivery volumes and an improved per-unit margin. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026 Sheriff’s offices in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Jacksonville and in Pinellas and Broward counties reserve pursuits primarily for violent felons, with some exceptions for other emergencies. — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primarily

Recent Examples of Synonyms for primarily

Adverb

The protesters, mostly young and dressed in black congregated in front of police lines leading to Place de la Nation, where the organizers had originally intended to end the march.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
On Saturday morning, police cleared Place de la Bastille, where protesters had originally been expected to gather.

— Richard Engel, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of originally

Adverb

But, mostly, remain with the bedrock of what fueled the Big Three success more than a decade ago and then the Heat’s NBA Final trips success thereafter.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
Gastrotypographicalassemblage is an approximately eight-by-thirty-four-foot wooden mural composed mostly of culinary terms set in expressive three-dimensional typefaces.

— Alec Mapes-Frances, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

Billionaires have poured hundreds of millions into super political action committees (super PACs) for campaign ads—chiefly supporting Republican candidates in tight Senate races.

— Connor Greene, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Long before launch, the team faced obstacles that nearly thwarted the endeavor — chiefly, two rejections from NASA — before finally securing the green light for the $1 billion project under the New Frontiers Program in 2011.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

On an October weekend, his heavy schedule of stops included greeting people at the annual Boll Weevil Fall Festival in Enterprise, a predominantly white city of about 31,000.

— Kim Chandler, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
The district’s Latino electorate is predominantly young, working-class, and migratory – a demographic that historically tracks lower in voter turnout, according to several studies.

— Cindy Carcamo, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of predominantly

Adverb

The founders argue that existing air freight networks leave thousands of smaller airports largely unused for commercial cargo transportation.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
There’s likely to be more drama for Democratic positions lower on the ladder, largely for challenges to sitting committee leaders.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

Republicans have a few targets on the board still, principally in Michigan, but also New Hampshire and Minnesota.

— Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026
Both the founders had worked at other New York galleries, Klein principally with Bertrand Delacroix and Massey at Mulherin and Pollard.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of principally

Browse Nearby Words

primal

primarily

primary

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primarily. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of primarily

adverb

Example Sentences

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