primarily

adverb

pri·​mar·​i·​ly prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 

also prə-

chiefly British ˈprī-mə-rə-lē

1

: for the most part : chiefly

… has now become primarily a residential town …

—S. P. B. Mais

2

: in the first place : originally

Synonyms of primarily

• originally

Examples of primarily in a Sentence

the university was primarily an agricultural college when it was founded over two centuries ago

ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes

Recent Examples on the Web

Local officials primarily blame budget concerns, along with political inertia, for the ongoing stalemate. — ABC News, 24 July 2026

Shares of Google parent Alphabet were around 4% lower in premarket trading, but that primarily reflected investor unease over rising AI spending outlined in the company's earnings report on Wednesday. — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 23 July 2026

The biblical drama, based on the life of Jesus, has primarily filmed at Camp Hoblitzelle in Midlothian since season 3. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 July 2026

Some experts dispute that Moonshot's new Kimi K3 could have been built primarily by distilling Anthropic's Fable, which has not been public for long. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

primary entry 1 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for primarily

• contrarily
• summarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily
• warily
• wearily
• arbitrarily
• customarily
• militarily
• momentarily

Kids Definition

primarily

adverb

pri·​mar·​i·​ly prī-ˈmer-ə-lē 

1

: for the most part : chiefly

2

: in the first place : originally