primarily

[ prahy-mair-uh-lee, -mer-, prahy-mer-uh-lee, -mer-uh- ]
See synonyms for primarily on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. essentially; mostly; chiefly; principally: They live primarily from farming.

  2. in the first instance; at first; originally: Primarily a doctor, he later became a lawyer.

Origin of primarily

1
First recorded in 1610–20; primary + -ly

Words Nearby primarily

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use primarily in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for primarily

primarily

/ (ˈpraɪmərəlɪ) /


adverb
  1. principally; chiefly; mainly

  2. at first; originally

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012