mainly
Americanadverb
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chiefly; principally; for the most part; in the main; to the greatest extent.
Our success was due mainly to your efforts. The audience consisted mainly of students.
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Obsolete. greatly; mightily; abundantly.
adverb
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for the most part; to the greatest extent; principally
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obsolete strongly; very much
Etymology
Origin of mainly
First recorded in 1225–75, mainly is from the Middle English word maynliche, maynly. See main 1, -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then there is the downside: When these office relationships end, women subordinates see their earnings drop roughly 18% the year after the breakup—mainly because many of them end up leaving the company.
The melting is driven mainly by relatively warm water from the deep ocean that flows into cavities beneath the ice.
From Science Daily
For decades, scientists believed aging mainly altered how cells function, not how many of each type exist.
From Science Daily
Vernice has her sights set on college, marriage and children; Annie is mainly motivated by her obsession with finding her mother.
Ascribing it mainly to one faction risks exacerbating the problem.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
