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.
"The UK's poor performance relative to other countries is mainly down to a lack of education, rather than employment, and particularly poor non-university routes into work," he says.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
The rise in 10-year Treasury yields is mainly from real yields, not inflation expectations.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Analyst John Campbell says the supply crunch mainly involves Toyota vehicles and cars that don’t run on traditional motor fuels.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
They were unchanged in April, mainly because farmers earned less.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
They went to one of Reykjavik’s most expensive and elegant restaurants and were said to have a long conversation, mainly about politics.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
