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
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
That primarily benefits the nation's wealthiest, highest-earning workers, who also currently don't pay Social Security taxes on any income above $184,500.
—
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 June 2026
The target has primarily been golf balls.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 17 June 2026
Oppenheimer finds the demand of this postmodern era is not going to workers, at least not primarily.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for primarily
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 17 June 2026
The target has primarily been golf balls.
—ABC News, 17 June 2026
Before that, Becca was a staff writer at The Week, primarily contributing to Speed Reads.
—Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 17 June 2026
Oppenheimer finds the demand of this postmodern era is not going to workers, at least not primarily.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for primarily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primarily
Adverb
-
The World Tequila Awards are an annual competition originally launched in 2019 by the World Drinks Awards.—
Brad Japhe,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
Netherlands fan Naut Bulten, who is originally from the Netherlands, has experienced American football venues before.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
Adverb
-
Seasonal increases in the virus are mainly driven by heat and warmer temperatures across the Midwest, which allow for a faster mosquito life cycle, and in return, viral life cycle.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
-
Lows will mainly be in the 60s, with some upper 50s north and west.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Adverb
-
Nearly 100 battery fire incidents occurred in 2025, mostly involving battery packs and vape devices, according to FAA data.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Golden State’s Kaila Charles and Gabby Williams kept Plum mostly in check, holding her to a season-low nine points after her career-high 43-point game in Phoenix on Saturday.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Adverb
-
But the accord already faces threats, chiefly from Lebanon, with the fighting there leading to the delay in the start of talks.—
Erin Cunningham,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
The measure chiefly calls for the 5% income tax rate to be gradually stepped down to 4% over a three-year period, but the case hinged on other impacts of the proposal.—
State House News Service,
Boston Herald,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
Instead of working alongside Freedom House, the city took over its operations and let go of the majority of its crew, replacing the experienced Black EMTs with a cohort of predominantly white staff.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The genomes also revealed a unique superantigen, or a microbial toxin that can increase an infection’s severity and activate extreme immune responses — one that appears to have predominantly affected children between the ages of 7 ½ and 11 years old.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Adverb
-
How deep that review goes, experts said, will largely depend on what investigators find on the ground.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
The area, a working-class and largely white part of Greater Manchester, is a top target for Farage’s party, but Burnham sought to turn back the tide, relying on his unique appeal as the region’s popular mayor.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Adverb
-
Oppenheimer’s note was principally focused, fitting for a global strategist, on how equity returns will be reshaped in a new regime.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
-
The laser targeted one of three ground stations, principally NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Table Mountain Facility in California, with a third, experimental ground station at the Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primarily. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
