primarily

From primary + -ly.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.ɹə.li/ (traditional), /pɹaɪˈmɛɹ.əli/ (now more common)

  • Audio (Southern England, /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.ɹə.li/):

    (file)

  • Audio (Southern England, /pɹaɪˈmɛɹ.əli/):

    (file)

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /pɹaɪˈmɛɹ.əli/, /ˈpɹaɪ.mɛɹ.ə.li/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑe.mə.ɹɪ.li/

primarily (not comparable)

1. (focus) Of a primary or central nature, first and foremost.
   • 1951 October, H. C. Casserley, “Crane Engines”, in Railway Magazine, page 660:

     The idea of fitting a crane to an engine for shunting duties, primarily in works yards, appears to have originated with the North London Railway engine in 1872.

   • 2013 January 25, Jim Sleeper, Daniel J. H. Greenwood, “To Stop Gun Violence, We Need to Remember We Can Regulate Corporate Speech and Advertising”, in The Atlantic‎^[1], archived from the original on 8 July 2014:

     These spectacles aren't calls for a Hobbesian war of all against all by some insurgent movement that, however dangerous, would have First Amendment protection. They're driven primarily by institutions that we as sovereign citizens created to serve our purposes.

   • 2015 January 1, Sarah Knapton, “Most cancers are caused by bad luck not genes or lifestyle, say scientists”, in The Telegraph‎^[2], archived from the original on 30 August 2015:

     But now a study has shown that most cancers are primarily caused by bad luck rather than poor lifestyle choices or defective DNA.

   • 2018 July 20, “Zika virus”, in World Health Organization‎^[3], archived from the original on 17 April 2019:

     Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, which bite during the day.

   • 2019 March 15, Keith Melrose, “Our leading tipsters give their fancy for the Cheltenham Gold Cup”, in The Racing Post‎^[4], archived from the original on 22 September 2024:

     Some Gold Cups are won primarily with class, others with stamina.

• by and large, chiefly, for the most part; see also Thesaurus:mostly or Thesaurus:above all