primarily
[prahy-mair-uh-lee, -mer-, prahy-mer-uh-lee, -mer-uh-]
- essentially; mostly; chiefly; principally: They live primarily from farming.
- in the first instance; at first; originally: Primarily a doctor, he later became a lawyer.
Show More
Origin of primarily
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
principallymainlychieflybasicallyespeciallyessentiallyfundamentallygenerallylargelymostlyoverallpredominantlyinitiallyoriginallyprimitivelyExamples from the Web for primarily
Contemporary Examples
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, primarily produces petroleum.
Primarily because the way most of us in the west and Anglophile world view the history of the Great War is from the winning side.
Much of urban America, particularly in places like Phoenix, Houston, and Las Vegas, is primarily suburban.
After construction, the pipeline would employ about 50 people, primarily for maintenance.
The OSS judged that “Spitz is primarily responsible for the success of this mission.”
Historical Examples
He rejoiced in the name, and used it primarily as a challenge to intolerance.
Shelley, Godwin and Their CircleH. N. Brailsford
And it is not for my sake—that is, not primarily for that—that I am anxious about her.
Kent Knowles: QuahaugJoseph C. Lincoln
But temporal things are to be sought secondarily not primarily.
On Prayer and The Contemplative LifeSt. Thomas Aquinas
It is this primarily that makes the dramas great and lasting.
The Facts About ShakespeareWilliam Allan Nielson
In our present society, production is carried on primarily for exchange, for sale.
SocialismJohn Spargo
primarily
- principally; chiefly; mainly
- at first; originally
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012