Mostly

//ˈməʊstli// adv

adv ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Adverb
  1. 1
    Mainly or chiefly; for the most part; usually, generally, on the whole. not-comparable

    "They're mostly good people, although they have made a few mistakes."

  2. 2
    To the greatest extent; most. not-comparable, obsolete

    "She was to be their chosen visitor, she was to be for weeks under the same roof with the person whose society she mostly prized [...]!"

Adverb
  1. 1
    in large part; mainly or chiefly wordnet
  2. 2
    usually; as a rule wordnet

Example

More examples

"A motel is like a hotel only much smaller and is used mostly by people traveling by automobile."

Etymology

From most + -ly.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.