1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primary concern for many house hunters is the asking price
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in chief
highest in rank or authority
the movie's primary screenwriter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in preliminary
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
a few minutes of primary instruction in the use of our diving gear before we actually got into the water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of primary
Company officials state that the primary obstacle to fusion energy is no longer validating the underlying science, but establishing scalable industrial manufacturing.
—
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 June 2026
California Democrats advanced from last week’s primary election in all five House districts targeted by last year’s redistricting measure.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
After overcoming a primary challenge from California Governor Ronald Reagan, Ford narrowly lost re-election to Jimmy Carter, probably because of 1his brave Pardon of Richard Nixon.
—New York Times, 11 June 2026
Lisa Wrightsman, managing director for the nonprofit’s Sacramento chapter, said encouraging people to join the soccer community is Street Soccer’s primary goal throughout the World Cup.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for primary
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 June 2026
California Democrats advanced from last week’s primary election in all five House districts targeted by last year’s redistricting measure.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026
After overcoming a primary challenge from California Governor Ronald Reagan, Ford narrowly lost re-election to Jimmy Carter, probably because of 1his brave Pardon of Richard Nixon.
—New York Times, 11 June 2026
Lisa Wrightsman, managing director for the nonprofit’s Sacramento chapter, said encouraging people to join the soccer community is Street Soccer’s primary goal throughout the World Cup.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for primary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primary
Adjective
-
Patrick was addressing attendees of the Republican Party of Texas’ state convention in Houston from the event’s main stage.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2026
-
Reuters — Hungary’s main opposition Fidesz party re-elected former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as its leader on Saturday for another year despite the party’s loss of power in an April 12 election to the center-right Tisza party.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Organized tours in Samaná Bay allow tourists to come into direct contact with marine life, making this activity a must-do in the region.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
-
Tehran signaled that Israeli military action against its regional allies could also trigger a direct Iranian response.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Whoop's co-founders spearheaded the computer science and mechanical engineering elements, with Nicolae becoming chief hardware engineer.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Blair Baek,
CNBC,
9 June 2026
-
Amazon initially reserved launches on all of the West’s commercially available heavy-lift rockets except those from SpaceX, which owns Starlink, Amazon Leo’s chief competitor.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
The National Weather Service said tornadoes had been confirmed in mostly rural areas southwest of Chicago, with some preliminary reports of buildings damaged in Streator, a manufacturing and farm city about 100 miles away.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
This was a preliminary, phase one clinical trial, so there was still a long way to go to confirm that this approach really could achieve what its inventors hoped—stopping an invader dead in its tracks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
American resumes flights American Airlines, the predominant carrier at Miami International Airport, resumed its service to Venezuela between Miami and Caracas in late April after a multi-year hiatus.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
-
During the Indianapolis 500 Sunday, Busch was honored on the 18th lap of the race, 18 being the predominant number on his stock car.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Even with those immediate reductions, the overall multi-billion-dollar spending plan retains funding for most programs from the previous year.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
-
Major ash-producing eruptions have repeatedly disrupted life across the region and can affect areas far beyond the immediate danger zone.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
Construction began in 2006 after a competition that attracted some of the world’s foremost architectural firms and months of debate over whether to rebuild where thousands were killed in the 9/11 attacks.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
Sheku’s universal appeal, which reaches far beyond traditional classical audiences, combined with his credibility as one of the world’s foremost cellists, makes this a unique acquisition for us.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
This includes increasing college preparatory course availability at high schools, making financial aid systems easier to navigate, and recruiting and retaining Asian American and Pacific Islander faculty members.—
Tarini Mehta,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2026
-
When interview invitations arrive, candidates have already done the reflective and preparatory work that helps make those conversations productive instead of reactive.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Primary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primary. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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