largely
Americanadverb
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to a great extent; in great part; generally; chiefly.
The plan depends largely on his willingness to cooperate. That is largely incorrect.
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in great quantity; much.
adverb
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principally; to a great extent
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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.
At Maine Family Planning, which largely serves rural patients, about a third of all medication abortions it provides are done through telehealth.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
But with low unemployment easing concerns about Cubans taking jobs, Brazilians are largely accepting of the new migrants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
He said that his role had been inflated into something it was not, and focused largely on the investigation, not on the relationship.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Researchers have long believed these pathways remained largely independent as visual signals moved through the retina and into the brain.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
While they are largely omnivorous, anything as rich and full of energy as straight heart meat could not be ignored, and after a week the two birds left.
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
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.
