PRINCIPALLY Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

principally

adverb

Definition of principally

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

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.

Recent Examples of principally Both the founders had worked at other New York galleries, Klein principally with Bertrand Delacroix and Massey at Mulherin and Pollard. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 At the beginning of this century, Andermatt was a quiet settlement in the Ursern Valley, known principally to committed skiers, mountaineers and the Swiss military. — Nick Scott, Robb Report, 17 Oct. 2026 That shift carries potential implications for concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI) research, which has relied principally on federal support, particularly from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The whole city ends up bearing the brunt of astronomical housing prices that, whatever their other causes, are principally downstream from a housing market that quite simply cannot keep up with demand. — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026 Treasury officials said the network operates principally from Mexico and Venezuela and has become an important source of revenue for Tren de Aragua, which the United States designated a foreign terrorist organization last year. — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 When Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agreed to a mutual defense pact in August, it was principally seen as a political commitment. — John Calabrese, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026 Pretoria wants American investors to build smelters, factories, and processing facilities in South Africa, rather than relying principally on conventional offtake agreements with local mines. — Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026 Federal regulators already treat it differently from many other digital assets, and the legislation was principally intended to create a broader framework governing how cryptocurrencies are issued, sold and regulated. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for principally

Adverb

Billionaires have poured hundreds of millions into super political action committees (super PACs) for campaign ads—chiefly supporting Republican candidates in tight Senate races.

— Connor Greene, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Long before launch, the team faced obstacles that nearly thwarted the endeavor — chiefly, two rejections from NASA — before finally securing the green light for the $1 billion project under the New Frontiers Program in 2011.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

More missiles, many more options This would significantly expand the ship’s ability to protect an entire naval task group, rather than primarily concentrating on defending itself and nearby assets.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Helium is primarily produced as a byproduct of natural gas processing.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of primarily

Adverb

From SportsCenter star to CEO Eisen, 57, worked for ESPN from 1996 to 2003, mostly anchoring SportsCenter during the show’s cultural peak.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Throughout the 1980s, ‘90s and into the early 2000s, top schools played their exhibitions against elite amateur teams made up mostly of former college athletes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

But the one question that has come up time and again -- what to do with drivers whose jobs would be eliminated -- remains largely unanswered.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
That is enough for engineering, because engineering is largely a text-generation problem.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

Brazil’s predominantly left-leaning film industry and its international counterpart have not stood on the sidelines.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
During his stint as president from 2006 to 2010, the company sold predominantly $200 and $300 jeans to affluent department-store shoppers with household incomes around $250,000.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of predominantly

Browse Nearby Words

principality

principally

principals

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Principally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/principally. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of principally

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes