chiefly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈtʃifli/ UK /ˈtʃiːfli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv mainly; for the most part The region is chiefly known for its vineyards. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · mainly; for the most part mainlyprincipallyprimarilymostlylargelypredominantlyespecially ↔ Opposites partlyincidentallymarginally Word family Related forms chiefchieftain Etymology AI details From chief + -ly. Chief is from Old French chief ('head, leader'), from Latin caput ('head'). chief Old French caput Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # chiefly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈtʃifli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈtʃiːfli/ ## Meanings 1. mainly; for the most part ## Examples - The region is chiefly known for its vineyards. ## Synonyms - mainly - principally - primarily - mostly - largely - predominantly - especially ## Antonyms - partly - incidentally - marginally ## Related Forms - chief - chieftain ## Roots and Affixes - Root: chief - Root: caput ## Etymology From chief + -ly. Chief is from Old French chief ('head, leader'), from Latin caput ('head'). ## AI Etymology Chiefly is from chief + -ly. Chief is from Old French chief ('head, leader'), from Latin caput ('head'). Important recorded forms include chief (Old French) and caput (Latin). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers mainly; for the most part. The wider family includes related words such as chief and chieftain. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown