PRIMARILY Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

primarily

adverb

prī-ˈmer-ə-lē

Definition of primarily

as in originally

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in mainly

for the most part ketchup is primarily made from tomatoes

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 primarily These machines etch circuit patterns onto silicon wafers, a critical part in the process of producing semiconductors, and are primarily made by Dutch manufacturer ASML. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026 Designing a podcast studio was new for Moser, whose work is primarily residential. — Genevieve Walker, Architectural Digest, 2 Aug. 2026 Brun was primarily supplied by Maluelue Umu, a bald Samoan man with ties to the USO prison gang, whom Brun had met during his days volunteering at the jail. — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026 Instead, Todaro argues, the contest is primarily about competing approaches to housing policy and how government should finance progressive priorities. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for primarily

Recent Examples of Synonyms for primarily

Adverb

David Tepper, the billionaire hedge fund manager originally from Pittsburgh, owns the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and the MLS’s Charlotte FC.

— Alex Zietlow July 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 July 2026
He’d originally been scheduled to tape in April but was forced to push while healing from a broken arm.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 July 2026

Definition of originally

Adverb

These were large, costly machines owned mainly by governments, universities and major corporations.

— Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
In 2022, about 67 percent of North Bay Village voters approved a $60 million bond, mainly to raise roads, and any planning now assumes that by 2060, sea levels will have risen by two feet.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Definition of mainly

Adverb

Hughes’ fall on this list mostly stems from major growth from others above him and the lack of term left on his deal.

— Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 22 July 2026
That case focused mostly on the details of the knife attack itself; the federal one delves more into questions of motive.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

Building a network is capital intensive, requiring continuous, steady investment in both towers and spectrum —- drawing capital away from businesses that investors more richly reward, chiefly AI.

— Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 29 July 2026
But Elliot’s best argument is ultimately himself—chiefly, his own vigorous libido, which his workaholic medical-student girlfriend, Minerva (a deader-than-deadpan Charli XCX), has long since lost interest in satiating.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 July 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

While the lawn remained mostly empty, the reserved seating area was largely full.

— Jamie Graziano, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026
That lawsuit names coho salmon, spotted owls, as well as a threatened seabird, the marbled murrelet, which lives largely out at sea but returns to old-growth coastal trees to nest, as species threatened by the change.

— Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

Back in those early days there was talk of Newcastle winning the Premier League in the next five to 10 years, principally from the mouth of Amanda Staveley, a 10 per cent minority partner of PIF who sold her stake and left Tyneside in July 2024.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Opposition is growing in the soccer world to a plan by the sport’s governing body, FIFA, to spin off its events, principally the World Cup, as a separate commercial entity and invite investors to take a stake in it.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 July 2026

Definition of principally

Browse Nearby Words

primal

primarily

primary

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Style

“Primarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primarily. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of primarily

adverb

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