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
S. P. B. Mais2
: in the first place : 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
The Palestinians being floated to join efforts to administer Gaza seem selected primarily for their palatability to foreign governments.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Flights between the two cities are primarily used for connections for passengers flying to and from Tucson.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Others think of it primarily as a set of computer programs that can answer questions and make predictions about what’s likely to happen.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
According to Amazon, Prime Video Pathway has already delivered training for 452 individuals, primarily from underrepresented groups.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primarily
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Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Flights between the two cities are primarily used for connections for passengers flying to and from Tucson.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Others think of it primarily as a set of computer programs that can answer questions and make predictions about what’s likely to happen.
—Veronique Greenwood, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
According to Amazon, Prime Video Pathway has already delivered training for 452 individuals, primarily from underrepresented groups.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primarily
Cite this Entry
“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primarily. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
primarily
adverb
pri·mar·i·ly
prī-ˈmer-ə-lē
1
: for the most part : chiefly
2
: in the first place : originally
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