1
2
as in direct
done or working without something else coming in between a crop failure that was the primary cause of the famine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
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 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 primary There’s a lot of stuff in the ocean, and marine debris tends to aggregate in the same places as does the whale sharks’ primary prey. JSTOR Daily, 24 Oct. 2025 Ingoglia and DeSantis want Florida voters to mandate tax cuts through constitutional amendments next year, which could include eliminating property taxes on primary residences. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025 Whether this technology becomes the primary corporate payment infrastructure depends largely on performance during economic stress periods. Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025 Trump declared Mar-a-Lago his primary residence in 2019. Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for primary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primary
Adjective
  • Cebu is also one the country’s main tourist centers.
    Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Most of the money was poured into three main super PACs, both pro-Cuomo and anti-Mamdani.
    Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • For years, fashion companies like Ralph Lauren pulled their products from Macy’s stores to sell more of their products direct to consumers online and at their own stores.
    Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The league then sends out direct notification letters to players, giving them the specific details of the fine and instructions on how to appeal.
    Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • After all avenues have been exhausted for finding out who these people are, the chief medical examiner of Alexandroupoli calls the chief imam of Sidiro, which is a Muslim Greek village.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Its chief investment vehicle is Humain, a homegrown company that is building out a full stack of data centers, cloud capabilities, large language models and applications.
    Tala Alrajjal, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Federal judge Julia Kobick in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Administration from enforcing the policy against Orr and six other individual plaintiffs in April.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The feedback will be used to screen candidates to select for preliminary interviews in January.
    Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • These trends will have immediate electoral consequences.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • What set him apart early was his willingness to apply his technical knowledge to fields and tasks that went beyond his immediate responsibilities.
    Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Despite the massive buildout, Al Khateeb assured the crowd that protecting the natural environment remains a foremost concern of Saudi Arabia’s government.
    Angelica Ang, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The unscripted series pairs Snooki with Kevin Whitaker, one of Canada’s foremost psychic mediums.
    Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Pacific Ridge School, an independent, co-ed, college preparatory day school in Carlsbad, started its 19th academic year with the Annual Trustee Dinner.
    News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Those preparatory projects included the installation of new capping roofs to weatherproof the buildings for a long period of care and maintenance, as well as the rerouting of electrical supplies and de-planting of boiler equipment.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Crime and safety, particularly in Downtown, were the predominant issues in the race, especially after a string of high-profile incidents this summer and fall.
    Jordan Kellogg, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Despite the concerns around African democracy, Afrobarometer’s annual African Insights survey shows voting in elections remains the predominant form of political and civic engagement, with nearly three-quarters of respondents voting in their country’s elections last year.
    Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Primary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primary. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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