primarily

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

adverb

1. essentially; mostly; chiefly; principally:

   They live primarily from farming.

2. in the first instance; at first; originally:

   Primarily a doctor, he later became a lawyer.

primarily

/ ˈpraɪmərəlɪ /

adverb

1. principally; chiefly; mainly
2. at first; originally

Word History and Origins

Origin of primarily¹

First recorded in 1610–20; primary + -ly

Example Sentences

Unrated during the pandemicIn the olden days — you know, before 2020 — chefs were judged primarily on what they put on a plate.

From Washington Post

Maybe it’s because the wealthier wards have higher vaccination rates than the lower-income wards, whose residents are primarily people of color.

From Washington Post

The liability is primarily due to officers who were hired before the 2010 law passed.

From ProPublica

Further, more than 100,000 Palestinians enter Israel every day to work, primarily in construction, most continuing to do so even during the pandemic.

From Popular-Science

If you will be primarily wearing your gloves for outdoor winter sports like skiing, you will want to find warm, waterproof gloves that allow for moisture-wicking as well as a secure fit at the wrist to keep snow and cold out.

From Popular-Science

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, primarily produces petroleum.

From The Daily Beast

Human trafficking was once a crime associated primarily with a range of small to large crime groups.

From The Daily Beast

The caller mentioned my work, which focused primarily on consumer products, mobile apps, emerging start-ups, and web trends.

From The Daily Beast

This has long stopped being primarily about the death of an unarmed young black man in St. Louis.

From The 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.

From The Daily Beast

This seems to be contrary to the spirit and intent of the act, which is primarily to centralize reserves in Federal Reserve Banks.

From Project Gutenberg

But it may be primarily laid hold upon in some instances in the formal performance of that exercise.

From Project Gutenberg

The power to expel members is incident to every society or association unless organized primarily for gain.

From Project Gutenberg

It is not usual to find gonococci when many other bacteria are present, even though the pus is primarily of gonorrheal origin.

From Project Gutenberg

The Appalachian Ridge consists primarily of a narrow strip of land thirty-five to one hundred miles wide.

From Project Gutenberg