mainly
/ˈmeɪnli/
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Chiefly; for the most part.
Adverb
Examples
She had Lord James' collar in one big fist and she pounded the table with the other and talked a blue streak. Nobody could make out plain what she said, for she was mainly jabbering Swede lingo, but there was English enough, of a kind, to give us some idee.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “mainly” mean?
Chiefly; for the most part.
Is “mainly” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.