mainly
Americanadverb
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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.
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Obsolete. greatly; mightily; abundantly.
adverb
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for the most part; to the greatest extent; principally
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obsolete strongly; very much
Etymology
Origin of mainly
First recorded in 1225–75, mainly is from the Middle English word maynliche, maynly. See main 1, -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Out of a possible 100 points on a scale used by the Chartered Institute of Linguists, the human version scored a 73, losing points mainly on points of language and clarity.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
The latest steps are mainly concentrated in "strategic infrastructure investment", said Oxford Economics' Yue, meaning that they are "likely to generate weaker near-term employment and income gains than previous stimulus cycles".
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
By commodity trade, Hayes is mainly referring to the memory stocks that have been labeled the picks-and-shovels play of the AI infrastructure boom.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
But like Iran to the south, Azerbaijan is mainly Shia - over 60% of its people identify as Shia Muslims, while most Turks are Sunni.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
A credit default swap was confusing mainly because it wasn’t really a swap at all.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
