primarily

[ prahy-mair-uh-lee, -mer-, prahy-mer-uh-lee, -mer-uh- ]

/ praɪˈmɛər ə li, -ˈmɛr-, ˈpraɪ mɛr ə li, -mər ə- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR primarily ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

essentially; mostly; chiefly; principally: They live primarily from farming.

in the first instance; at first; originally: Primarily a doctor, he later became a lawyer.

Nearby words

Origin of primarily

First recorded in 1610–20; primary + -ly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for primarily

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, primarily produces petroleum.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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.
How WWI Produced the Holocaust|J.P. O’Malley|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Much of urban America, particularly in places like Phoenix, Houston, and Las Vegas, is primarily suburban.
The Progressives’ War on Suburbia|Joel Kotkin|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After construction, the pipeline would employ about 50 people, primarily for maintenance.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: November 16|PunditFact.com|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The OSS judged that “Spitz is primarily responsible for the success of this mission.”
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The first are primarily social in purpose, and afford a place for the children of mothers who have to leave their homes for work.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 5|Various
Primarily he developed his dancing as something which should make people laugh.
Pieces of Hate|Heywood Broun
Real humor is primarily human—or divine, to be exact—and after that the fun may follow naturally in its order.
Chimney-Pot Papers|Charles S. Brooks
In some way they conceived the idea that Bones Shadduck was primarily responsible for their humiliation.
The Boys of Columbia High on the Gridiron|Graham B. Forbes
Unfortunately, the twentieth century, so far, has been primarily concerned with the making of noise rather than music.
The Lure of the Pen|Flora Klickmann

British Dictionary definitions for primarily

primarily

/ (ˈpraɪmərəlɪ) /

adverb

principally; chiefly; mainly

at first; originally

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

primarily

adverb

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Nearby words

Origin of primarily

Examples from the Web for primarily

British Dictionary definitions for primarily

primarily

adverb