Definitions

mainly

[meyn-lee] / ˈmeɪn li /

ADVERB

for the most part

Synonyms

STRONG

chiefly primarily principally

WEAK

above all essentially first and foremost generally in general in the main largely most of all mostly on the whole overall predominantly substantially to the greatest extent usually

Antonyms

STRONG

secondarily

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.

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mainly

Researchers say the finding points to a surprising mechanism and challenges the prevailing idea that chronic viral reactivation occurs mainly because of immunosuppression.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

At Chelsea, Maresca mainly used a man-to-man press high up the pitch.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The decision to rent versus buy is mainly just a financial decision.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

For the inflation data, TD Securities expects a modest rise, mainly driven by the cap increase by U.K. energy regulator Ofgem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

If a percussion instrument does produce pitched sounds, however, the reason, again, is that it is mainly producing harmonic-series overtones24 .

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

mainly

Example Sentences

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