PRINCIPALLY Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

principally

adverb

Definition of principally

as in chiefly

for the most part the tourists were principally concerned with the quantity of the food, and only secondarily with the quality

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 principally Their focus is principally Travis Kelce, who is reclined on an outdoor sofa, posing for a Tommy Hilfiger campaign. — Nick Remsen, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026 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 Hawk is burning principally toward the northeast; warnings are in place in California’s Sierra County but no evacuation has been ordered there. — Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 Arsenal and Galatasaray have been in dialogue over several players, principally Martinelli — but there are no active negotiations over a potential transfer for Osimhen. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Trade along the route remains tiny compared with major throughways like the Suez Canal and is dominated by Russian oil and gas, which – along with a few other LNG buyers in Asia – principally flow to China. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026 Some Hoodoo practitioners have begun calling themselves witches, reflecting the increasingly positive reassessment of that term, which historically referred principally to practitioners of occult harming practices. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026 Those difficulties are especially acute across Chocó, one of Colombia’s poorest departments, where many small and dispersed communities are connected principally by rivers and waterways rather than roads. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for principally

Adverb

That would mean that repetition, rather than representation, is chiefly at stake—a hypnotic ritual.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

In the last decade Germany has sheltered millions of refugees, mainly from Syria and other troubled countries in the Middle East.

— Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
There are only a handful of performances currently scheduled at the Kennedy Center, mainly at the adjacent facility known as the REACH.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of mainly

Adverb

Williams has the versatility to play inside and out, despite playing primarily in the slot in college.

— Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Larson notes that whole-wheat or whole-grain crust generally provides more fiber and micronutrients such as magnesium than crust made primarily from refined white flour.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of primarily

Adverb

For motorists with electric vehicles, the average kilowatt hour cost at charging stations in Florida on Sunday rounded up to 41 cents, a rate mostly unchanged since early March.

— News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026
Sweaters, which are mostly made in Turkey, retail for $295 to $395 for the core line and $395 to $900 for the Italian collection.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

Rea has largely been in mop-up duty since moving out of the rotation.

— Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
That’s a big deal for folks that aren’t necessarily experts on government ethics rules — the president, not just this president, but all presidents have been largely exempt from any conflicts of interest rules.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

The site sits in South Memphis, where the surrounding neighborhoods are predominantly Black and ringed by industry that long predates xAI.

— Austyn Gaffney, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026
Some of the students were children of officers at a Revolutionary Guard base located next to the school; many were local children from Minab, which is populated predominantly by members of Iran’s Baluch ethnic minority.

— Amir Vahdat, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of predominantly

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principality

principally

principals

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“Principally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principally. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of principally

adverb

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