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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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 Oppenheimer’s note was principally focused, fitting for a global strategist, on how equity returns will be reshaped in a new regime. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026 The laser targeted one of three ground stations, principally NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Table Mountain Facility in California, with a third, experimental ground station at the Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 15 June 2026 But it is being facilitated by doctors and specialized pharmacies that are principally regulated at the state level, legal experts say, as well as unregulated sources that operate outside the typical guardrails designed to assure drug quality. — Daniel Gilbert, CBS News, 8 June 2026 This rising use of AI has principally been spurred by the evolving advances and widespread adoption of generative AI. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 Their programs were not principally drill-and-kill exercises, but extended to mathematics, English composition, geography, history, and music — piano, violin, and choral programs. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026 The overwhelming majority of NFL teams are principally owned and run by white men. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 19 May 2026 The conflict has resulted in as many as 9,000 deaths and more than 40,000 injuries, principally in Iran but also in Lebanon, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026 The biggest beneficiaries of Gulf defense spending in recent years have been Western allies, principally the US. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for principally

Adverb

Advertisement Sea Rangers restore seagrass chiefly in the Dutch Eastern Scheldt and French Étang de Berre.

— Richard Morgan, Time, 29 June 2026
Larson has clashed chiefly with Bronin — rather than his other two opponents — during the campaign.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

The maintenance cycle appears to be driven mainly by univoltine Aedes species, mosquitoes that produce a single brood per year.

— John Drake, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Ernest Shackleton, an Irish explorer, is remembered mainly for the 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of mainly

Adverb

Their tropical cocktails and frozen delights are easily crushable, primarily made with vodka, mezcal, rum and tequila.

— Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Although Chicago had its issues with redlining and massive disinvestment that left generational scars on some primarily Black neighborhoods, the small town ethos held little sway over me.

— Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Definition of primarily

Adverb

Politics have mostly been irrelevant (well, until yesterday’s red-card controversy), and many Americans have briefly set aside their red-versus-blue differences to rally together in the nation’s swirly red, white, and blue soccer kits.

— Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Hargitay reps a unique choice by NBC and the Television Academy for hosting the Emmys, which in recent years has stuck mostly with standups, late night hosts or comedic actors.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 7 July 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

Giselle Garcia, program director for NorCal Resist, said the arrest data largely tracks with the organization’s own informal counts though emphasized much enforcement goes unaccounted for if families aren’t willing to speak up.

— Mathew Miranda July 9, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
During the war, as the death toll ticked upward in the enclave, search operations for bodies largely stopped, either because most heavy equipment was destroyed, fuel became scarce or many strike sites became inaccessible due to the fighting.

— Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

The 678 cases have predominantly been confirmed the southeast region of Michigan including Wayne County, where Detroit is located.

— Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 6 July 2026
The neighborhood attracted a predominantly working-class community of Black families who lived in modest single-family houses.

— Jena Brooker, ProPublica, 6 July 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 10 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of principally

adverb

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