as in mainly
for the most part
our video collection consists chiefly of comedies, but we have a few horror movies
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Recent Examples of chiefly
Lowering Refugee Admissions: Another Form Of Immigration Restriction During Donald Trump’s first term, press reports indicate White House Adviser Stephen Miller was chiefly responsible for reducing refugee admissions to historically low levels.
—
Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The Biden White House Justice Department decided to indict a lynchpin player in IMEC for bribery, the Adani Group in India, chiefly its boss Gautam Adani (and seven others).
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 29 Jan. 2025
Hiring, however, has slipped below pre-pandemic levels and net job growth is robust chiefly because of low layoffs, possibly foreshadowing a slowdown.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
Beyond the awe-inspiring beauty of the image, this portrait will be an invaluable tool for astronomers to piece together Andromeda's tumultuous history, chiefly its mergers with smaller satellite galaxies.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chiefly 
Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The Biden White House Justice Department decided to indict a lynchpin player in IMEC for bribery, the Adani Group in India, chiefly its boss Gautam Adani (and seven others).
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 29 Jan. 2025
Hiring, however, has slipped below pre-pandemic levels and net job growth is robust chiefly because of low layoffs, possibly foreshadowing a slowdown.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
Beyond the awe-inspiring beauty of the image, this portrait will be an invaluable tool for astronomers to piece together Andromeda's tumultuous history, chiefly its mergers with smaller satellite galaxies.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chiefly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chiefly
Adverb
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It’s mainly established that Kate and Jaclyn lead happy and fulfilling lives — on the surface anyway — while Laurie is struggling in some as-yet-unspecified way.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
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Working closely with our amazing cinematographer, Stéphane Fontaine, who had the unusual challenge of lighting this set mainly with practical and prop lighting.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
At the Golden Globe Awards, held just weeks before Trump’s inauguration, the show was largely politics-free, with host Nikki Glaser and presenters mostly staying away from commentary on current events.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2025
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Heavily wooded areas are accustomed to more frequent fires, which mostly burned at low intensity, clearing the debris and vegetation on the forest floor without killing the larger trees.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
The company has billions in government contracts, primarily with NASA and the Pentagon.—
April Rubin,
Axios,
18 Feb. 2025
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The 15th and 25th anniversary shows were primarily made up of cast members introducing archival clips.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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All of these factors can worsen dryness too, but the point is that dehydration really isn’t chronic—it’s largely influenced by external stuff.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
11 Feb. 2025
-
While some studies suggest eating chocolate benefits heart health, the research is largely inconclusive.—
Elizabeth Yuko,
Health,
11 Feb. 2025
Adverb
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His triggers are people (predominantly men), dogs and large objects.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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Who is Clive Rothwell? Unlike Gibson, who put her life in the spotlight as a wellness influencer, Rothwell has lived a predominantly private life.—
Kelsie Gibson,
People.com,
6 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near chiefly
Cite this Entry
“Chiefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chiefly. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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