as in chiefly
for the most part
the tourists were principally concerned with the quantity of the food, and only secondarily with the quality
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for principally
Adverb
-
The GameCube adapter is only supported on the original Switch for very specific games, chiefly Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.—
Matt Kamen,
Wired News,
16 Apr. 2025 -
Yet, for all the frivolities, there are some key differences to consider, chiefly in the domestic schedules.—
Brett Koremenos,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Organized, potent thunderstorms are forecast to ramp up starting Thursday, April 17, with subsequent rounds of severe weather right through Easter on Sunday, April 20, mainly focused on the central United States, AccuWeather said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
-
More aggressive immigration enforcement actions took place last month, mainly at Ivy League and elite campuses in the Northeast, including Columbia University, where foreign students who supported pro-Palestinian protests were arrested for deportation.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
There’s the inevitable factor of the character being 100 percent secondary to Ray (this is primarily Brian Tyree Henry’s joint, after all, welcome recurring buddy-movie dynamic of Henry and Wagner Moura notwithstanding).—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
-
The 22-year-old is also popular on social media, primarily on TikTok and Instagram.—
Sara Vallone,
Miami Herald,
18 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Unfortunately, the question of how much worth is placed on an Israeli life versus a Palestinian one is answered mostly in words, and thus, in too direct (and perhaps too didactic) a fashion, when so much of the movie’s drama could have grounded it emotionally.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
-
Thankfully, the four of us in the band are mostly aligned politically, which is a gift when our individual personalities are often reduced to a single, public entity.—
Ryan Miller,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Sanders' appearance, which occurred at around 8:15 p.m., was largely unexpected.—
Sam Morgen,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
-
That newsroom survived not on ads or subscriptions, but on foreign aid—largely from the United States.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
In the predominantly Kurdish cities of Diyarbakir and Van in southeast Turkey, people gathered in public spaces, dancing in anticipation of the announcement.—
ROBERT BADENDIECK AND SUZAN FRASER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Olive Sturgess, who acted on television and film predominantly in the 1950s and 1960s, died February 19 in Los Angeles.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Principally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principally. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share