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 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 That leaves around €145million from elsewhere, with €136m accruing to the men’s first team, principally via the successful defence of their La Liga title. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Islamic militancy flourished principally on the battlefields of war on terror, in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, a trajectory epitomized by the emergence of the Islamic State from within the American prison system in Iraq. — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for principally

Adverb

Although the strategic consequences of their actions may ultimately benefit Iran in its own regional and international conflicts, the Houthis see their military campaign against Saudi Arabia chiefly as an act of national defense.

— Laurent Bonnefoy, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
The animation of the original series was overseen by three South Korean studios, chiefly JM Animation in the early seasons and MOI Animation in the latter ones.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of chiefly

Adverb

What to do nearby The Algarve is mainly populated with beach resorts—and most are much larger than this one.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
Reps for Busfield, who has been out on bond and mainly on the East Coast since the beginning of the year, and his main lawyer Larry Stein did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment on the news.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of mainly

Adverb

The system is primarily intended to counter small unmanned aircraft.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Their list consists primarily of interventions such as more per-pupil funding, banning cellphones and restricting artificial intelligence in the classroom.

— Gustavo E. Fischman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of primarily

Adverb

People went through the admission and security checkpoints without issues, and the event’s early evening acts enjoyed mostly dry stages with light, intermittent rain.

— Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
Though their loss to the Vikings was mostly to a backup quarterback there as well.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of mostly

Adverb

Advertisement France has never seen so many violent incidents in a movement made up largely of high school students.

— Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Violent crime concentrates in poor neighborhoods, and largely because of our history, Black Americans are far more likely than white Americans to live in them.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of largely

Adverb

As the military-style helicopter hovered above them, attendees from the rural, predominantly Latino community, began to get nervous.

— Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
While bold in its coloring, the new Santa style isn’t the first time Michael Jordan’s classic Air Jordan 3 has been given a predominantly red makeover.

— Riley Jones, Footwear News, 18 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 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of principally

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes