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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of principally
This crowd-pleaser doesn’t principally tell Jarrett’s story, though, but that of the promoter, Vera Brandes, who began booking musicians as a teenager and was not yet 20 at the time of Jarrett’s triumph.
—
Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Our commerce writer Julia Harrison writes that her Moccamaster One Cup is a delight, principally because of its simplicity as a drip coffee maker—free of extraneous frothers or digital interfaces or timers.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
The plan envisions a reconstructed strip supported principally by regional players that could stabilize the region and provide in the short term humanitarian relief and in the long term economic opportunities to Gazans.
—Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
The relationships that Mark forms in the course of his career are similarly simplified—principally, his hearty bromance with Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), who is first his trainer and then, entering the circuit himself, a competitor.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
However, surging production, led principally by Chinese mining companies, had cratered the price to a nine-year low, leading the DRC to impose the restrictions and in turn drawing ire from producers.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
By drawing his understanding of the king principally from Harvey’s travelogue, and likely a string of others produced in the English-speaking world, Welles ended up making his career promoting what was merely another caricature of an actual person, a historical figure, and an important one at that.
—Marlene L. Daut
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The clip principally focuses on Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen and Jeremy Strong as Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 15 Sep. 2025
Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Our commerce writer Julia Harrison writes that her Moccamaster One Cup is a delight, principally because of its simplicity as a drip coffee maker—free of extraneous frothers or digital interfaces or timers.
—Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025
The plan envisions a reconstructed strip supported principally by regional players that could stabilize the region and provide in the short term humanitarian relief and in the long term economic opportunities to Gazans.
—Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
The relationships that Mark forms in the course of his career are similarly simplified—principally, his hearty bromance with Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader), who is first his trainer and then, entering the circuit himself, a competitor.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
However, surging production, led principally by Chinese mining companies, had cratered the price to a nine-year low, leading the DRC to impose the restrictions and in turn drawing ire from producers.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
By drawing his understanding of the king principally from Harvey’s travelogue, and likely a string of others produced in the English-speaking world, Welles ended up making his career promoting what was merely another caricature of an actual person, a historical figure, and an important one at that.
—Marlene L. Daut
september 22, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2025
This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The clip principally focuses on Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen and Jeremy Strong as Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principally
Adverb
-
Tea was consumed chiefly in private; Mother poured out.—
Jane Kamensky,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Martin, whose first language is Swedish, is chiefly concerned with melody.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Among adolescents and young adults, the largest increase in deaths over the past decade or so was among those ages 20 to 39 in high-income North America, mainly due to suicide, drug overdose and high quantities of alcohol, according to the IHME research.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The coins reflect a time of turmoil Archaeologists have confirmed that the coins mainly date to the 12th century.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
But for all that lean bulkers profess online that their physical changes serve their health, many of them are primarily motivated by aesthetics.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The answers to these questions are the subject of an exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts of close to 100 works — primarily contemporary — by 62 Anishinaabe artists from 21 tribes from Michigan and the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada.—
Jane L. Levere,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Randy has worked for the firm since 1991, handling mostly personal injury cases, according to the family law firm's website.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Now, the company has launched Wings—a collection of mostly fine jewelry that’s less literal and more abstract.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
15 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
However, unlike beer or cheese, where microbes are intentionally introduced and controlled, fermentation in cocoa beans is a spontaneous process and largely uncontrolled.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The Ellison family has 100% voting control over Paramount Skydance; the Paramount-Skydance deal was largely bankrolled by Oracle founder Larry Ellison (David’s father).—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
18 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The Bangladeshi ‘Gen Z revolution’ involved weeks of intense protests, predominantly led by students, and resulted in the ousting of the nation’s long-serving leader Sheikh Hasina.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The children were predominantly Black, and Lorincz, a white woman then in her late fifties, interpreted their ordinary play as an ongoing crime, or a conspiracy to drive her insane.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Principally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principally. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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