mainly
/ˈmeɪnli/ adverb
- adverb Of a person or thing being the driving force influencing the outcome of an event; chiefly; certainly for the most part.
- adverb (obsolete) Forcefully, vigorously.
- adverb (obsolete) Of the production of a sound: loudly, powerfully.
- adverb (obsolete) To a great degree; very much.
Synonyms
in the main energetically powerfully strongly earsplittingly lustily raucously thunderously a lot extremely principally chiefly primarily
Etymology
From Middle English maynly; equivalent to main + -ly.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [From main strong. See Main strength.]
Etymology [From main principal, chief.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “mainly”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details