chiefly
Americanadverb
-
primarily; essentially.
He phoned chiefly to let us know he was feeling better.
-
mainly; mostly.
This dish consists chiefly of noodles.
adjective
adverb
-
especially or essentially; above all
-
in general; mainly; mostly
adjective
Related Words
See especially.
Etymology
Origin of chiefly
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at chief, -ly
Explanation
Use the adverb chiefly to mean "mostly" or "primarily." You could say your history class is chiefly focused on 18th century American history if all your teacher wants to talk about is the American Revolution. If you usually ride your bike to work, you can say, "I'm chiefly a bicycle commuter," and your neighbor's obituary might mention that she'll be chiefly remembered for her work as a civil rights activist in the 1960s. You can also use chiefly to mean "for the most part," when you talk about the contents or composition of something: "My granola is chiefly almonds." The word comes from the Old French chief, "principal" or "first."
Vocabulary lists containing chiefly
Essential English Vocabulary, List 7
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The Horse and His Boy
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Bad Boy
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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.
Will Denyer, chief economist at Gavekal Research, suggests pairing long positions in Brazilian and South Korean Equities: Brazil chiefly as a hedge against ongoing conflict and South Korea as a bet on peace.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
Haigh and team explain that the precious metals rally was chiefly propelled by inflows from exchange-traded funds and that influence has been exaggerated of late.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 3, 2026
Continental is chiefly a domestic producer; it has some ventures in Turkey, but isn’t known as an international producer.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026
Established in 2012 in this Dallas suburb, Founders is the oldest of a network of 23 “classical” schools, chiefly in Texas and Arkansas.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
But he had stuck to his master all the way; that was what he had chiefly come for, and he would still stick to him.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
