1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
the primary concern for many house hunters is the asking price
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in chief
highest in rank or authority
the movie's primary screenwriter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in preliminary
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
a few minutes of primary instruction in the use of our diving gear before we actually got into the water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of primary
The General Assembly’s roughly four-and-a-half-month session is scheduled to end May 31, with lawmakers juggling legislative work alongside the March 17 primary election.
—
Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Davis also cites creating empathy as his primary goal with the opera, which will soon be recorded for release as an album.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
The Miami Heat know the sample size is scant, to a man in the aftermath of Saturday night’s putrid 123-99 loss to the Indiana Pacers noting that the game was only the team’s fourth out of 38 with all components of the primary rotation available.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
Voters will choose the party nominees in the June 30 primary election.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for primary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primary
Adjective
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And one of its main ingredients was a hair product – Afro Sheen.—
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Then the Orion capsule will fire up its main thruster and shoot off towards the Moon on its 240,000-mile, four-day journey.—
Adjective
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The study offers rare, direct evidence of this process by tracking cool gas across entire galaxies, something that was not possible before large surveys like MaNGA.—
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But just like the Qatar embargo almost a decade ago, those rules seem to slacken when officials make direct accusations against fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members.—
Adjective
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The ship returned to PortMiami as scheduled Saturday morning, according to Carnival chief communications officer Chris Chiames.—
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Much like Blue Origin’s chief competitor, SpaceX — which has long been a dominant force in the commercial launch business — Blue Origin rockets are designed to be partially reused in order to drive down costs.—
Adjective
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Ultimately, the appeals court affirmed the district court’s grant of a preliminary injunction to Hecox, but vacated the injunction applied to the rest of the state.—
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He’s scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on Monday.—
Adjective
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The highly skilled team — including neonatologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and pediatric specialists — provides immediate access to advanced treatments and technology, improving outcomes and offering families peace of mind.—
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The video also appeared to depict the officers did not take immediate steps to ensure that Good received emergency medical care after the shooting took place.—
Adjective
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My colleague Jeff, one of the foremost space experts in the world, just published a feature on the efforts to build data centers in space.—
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Many of the city’s foremost bakers — including Sherry Yard, Nancy Silverton, Sumi Chang — brought cookies to share.—
Adjective
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The team will first play a preparatory series in Sri Lanka which begins in two weeks’ time.—
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They were discovered during preparatory work for road construction.—
Adjective
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Still, the predominant image of Levi Strauss heir Lurie is that of an earnest problem solver blending private sector agility with an ability to experiment with public policy.—
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The predominant symptoms experienced by the ill passengers and crew members were vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.—
Cite this Entry
“Primary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primary. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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