largely
Americanadverb
-
to a great extent; in great part; generally; chiefly.
The plan depends largely on his willingness to cooperate. That is largely incorrect.
-
in great quantity; much.
adverb
-
principally; to a great extent
-
on a large scale or in a large manner
Etymology
Origin of largely
Explanation
Use the adverb largely to mean "mostly." You might say that you're largely pleased with the way your favorite baseball team played this season if they won more games than they lost. If a group art project was largely completed at your house, that means you primarily worked on it there, and when a once-popular novelist is largely forgotten, she's generally fallen out of favor with today's readers. Largely is a useful alternative to "mostly," "mainly," or "chiefly," and it comes from the adjective large, in Old French "broad, wide, or generous," from a Latin root, largus, "abundant, plentiful, bountiful, or liberal."
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.
Would-be buyers are sitting on the sidelines largely because housing costs are high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Students who earn associate degrees, largely granted by California community colleges, earn $24,000 more than someone who only graduated high school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The royal family's main strategy has been to separate itself from Marius Borg Høiby's trial, and Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen believes that has largely succeeded.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
The rise in the number of Neets between April and June compared to the same time last year was largely an increase among men.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Courts also had rejected claims that crack sentencing laws were racially discriminatory, largely on the grounds that the Supreme Court’s decision in McCleskey v.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
