mainly

[meyn-lee]

adverb

1. chiefly; principally; for the most part; in the main; to the greatest extent.

   Our success was due mainly to your efforts. The audience consisted mainly of students.

2. Obsolete.,  greatly; mightily; abundantly.

mainly

/ ˈmeɪnlɪ /

adverb

1. for the most part; to the greatest extent; principally

2. obsolete,  strongly; very much

Word History and Origins

Origin of mainly¹

First recorded in 1225–75, mainly is from the Middle English word maynliche, maynly. See main ¹, -ly

Example Sentences

It seems that young people are spending long hours on these social-media platforms mainly because of FOMO: fear of missing out.

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The exposure is also mainly to customers that owe First Brands money, a person familiar with the matter said.

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White Namibians, mainly of Afrikaner and German descent, constitute 2% of the population but, according to Namibia’s statistics authority, own 70% of commercial farmland.

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Iran exported $43 billion of mainly crude oil last year, according to estimates by the U.S.

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This is mainly due to the variability of the extracts and the fact that each person behaves differently.

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