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 Storms early this week should primarily impact southern Wisconsin, said Aiden Kuroski, a meteorologist at the Milwaukee/Sullivan National Weather Service station. — Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 30 Aug. 2026 More than 80% of that cargo was bound for Asia, primarily China, India, Japan, and South Korea. — Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 The committees are composed primarily of volunteers, and draw from across fields of relevant study and practice. — Katia Riddle, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026 McReynolds said forecasters are primarily watching offshore cumulus clouds, and the possibility of those producing showers or thunderstorms. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primarily

Recent Examples of Synonyms for primarily

Adverb

The man who prosecutors say originally gave the gun to Davis is also dead.

— Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
The game, originally scheduled for last Friday, was full of yellow flags.

— Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of originally

Adverb

Done with a cheek swab, blood draw or saliva sample, this testing mainly looks at liver enzymes that affect how the body metabolizes medicines.

— Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
It’s mainly centered on Billie, who is worried about an old Facebook post standing in the way of finding a job.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of mainly

Adverb

Details of the contract have been mostly kept secret, as both companies said the agreement contained confidential business information.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026
Decades later, buses helped desegregate schools, hauling Black and white children across the country’s racial divide, a controversial practice that has mostly ended.

— Jeff McMurray, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

Many of the dozens missing in its environs were foreign nationals, chiefly Indian or Indian-origin pilgrims who were returning from, or preparing to make, the journey further into Tibet to Mount Kailash, a holy site for Hindus and Buddhists.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Today, other drugs are more often deployed, chiefly benzodiazepines or the benzodiazepine Clonazepam, which also render a person zombie-like and more reliably submissive.

— Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

Two years later, Wong became one of the key leaders of the city’s Umbrella Movement protests that rallied thousands of predominantly young people to the streets to call for greater democracy by blocking major thoroughfares for 79 straight days.

— Chris Lau, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
If the night had ended after that soaring anthem, few in the heavily female and predominantly middle-aged crowd could have complained.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of predominantly

Adverb

In the beginning, the team largely focused on fatal drunk-driving cases, Cherney said.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, Texas is moving away from a system that based special education funding largely on where and how students received services.

— Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI and LLMs such as ChatGPT, GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, and others.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Massachusetts should examine whether programs operating under the banner of victim services remain principally accountable to victims.

— Laurie Myers, Boston Herald, 26 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 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of primarily

adverb

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