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.
They found that its complex weather is largely governed by just two factors: changes in temperature and the vertical structure of its clouds.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
Preorders for the iPhone Duo began Friday, marking Apple’s debut in a foldable smartphone market largely dominated by Samsung and Google.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is perhaps the most iconic of super subs, largely for that Treble-clinching night in Barcelona.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Preorders for the iPhone Duo began Friday, marking Apple’s debut in a foldable phone market largely dominated by Samsung and Google.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
That is the difference a few years’ span in age can make: one day you see the world as a child does, largely oblivious to its dangers.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
