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.

Unlike many current approaches, the method relies mainly on imaging data rather than expensive spectroscopic observations.

From Science Daily • Jun. 29, 2026

Ken Burns gives him the starring role in his series “The American Revolution” because he is the leader of the charge, but mainly because he was flawed and succeeded.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

Gourinchas said that emerging economies had shown remarkable resilience through the shocks of the last five years, mainly due to greater supply-chain integration -- but that resilience was not infinite.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

It determines the amount of cash the Welsh government receives, based mainly on share of population.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

So far we have been looking at evidence mainly through English sources.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

mainly

Example Sentences

Related Words