The primary aim of science is to find truth, new truth.
Source: tatoeba (24012)
Primary
/ˈpɹaɪˌmɛɹi/
Synonyms for "primary" (449 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (90)
ab ovoabecedarianaboriginalall-absorbingantenatalanteriorarchaustereautochthonousbannerbarebasalbasicbasilarbeginningbottombuddingby-electioncapitalcardinal
Show 23 more words
caucuscentralchampionchastechiefchromatic circlechromatic spectrumchromaticity diagramclosed primarycolor circlecolor cyclecolor indexcolor mixture curvecolor solidcolor spectrumcolor systemcolor trianglecomplementary colorcongressional electionconstituentconstitutivecontested electioncontrolling
Noun(24 words)
alphaattendingbase a lessonbase colorbase formsbase unit systembaseline classifierbasic cognitive skillbeginner portuguese vocabularycandidate selectioncardinal numbercentralcentral governmentscentral hubcentral purposechiefchief aimchief characteristiccorecore curriculum
Show 4 more words
core historical conceptcore life science conceptcore materialcore point
Adjective(23 words)
basalbase conceptbasic levelbasic life formbasic operationbasic principlebasic scientific conceptbasic skillbasic teaching conceptcapital a'scardinal determinercentral attractioncentral channelcentral ecological rolecentral issuecentral motifcentral valuechiefchosen field of studycore component
Show 3 more words
core curriculum areacore learning importancecore module
Strong matches (135)
Noun(25 words)
core school subjectscore subjectearlyelementary schoolelementary science courseessential colorfirstfirst coursefirst language instructionfirst language learnerfirst tierfirstbornfocus starforegroundfoundational conceptfoundingfront page featurefundamental colorfundamental forcegoverning body
creationcreativecrowningcrucialdemitintdirectdirect primarydominantearliestelectionelementalelementaryembryonicessentialfetalfirstfirsthandfocalforeforehand
Show 47 more words
foremostformativeforwardfoundationfoundationalfrontfrontalfull colorfundamentalfundamental colorsgeneral electiongenerativegeneticgerminalgestatorygreatguthalf tinthalftoneheadheadmosthegemonichighesthomelyhomespunhomogeneoushue cycleimmediatein embryoin its infancyin ovoin the budinauguralinceptiveinchoateinchoativeincipientincunabularindivisibleinfantinfantileinitialinitiativeinitiatoryintroductoryinventiveirreducible
Adjective(37 words)
crucial factordeciduousdominant authoritydominant factordominant signaldominant traitdominant trenddriving factorearliest dateelementalelemental featureselementaryelementary layerelementary science courseselementary studentelementary unitessential partessential questionsessential service provisionfirst law
Show 17 more words
first line therapyfirst movementfirst positionfirst rankfirsthand accountfoundational theoriesfundamental ecological principlesfundamental physical lawfundamental physics conceptsgoverning authority guidelinesgreatest partgreatest portionhighest animal labelimportant ideainitial treatmentintroductory sessionkey argument
Determiner(4 words)
das erste wortfirst language learningfirst language writing assignmentfirst treatment
Adverb(1 words)
electromagnetically dominant
Verb(1 words)
keep original time
Related words (224)
Noun(48 words)
key featurelead idealeading digitmainmain drivermain featuremain headingmain ideamain pointmainlinemajmajormajor field of studymajor requirementsmost basic quantitymost singletonnomination contestopeningopening actoriginal text
Show 28 more words
overall ruleparty electionprimary coilprimary electionprimary featherprimary goalprimary quillprimary schoolprimary windingprime odd numberprime pm's officeprimesprimoprincipalprincipal causeprincipal inner officepriority concernspriority factorroman numeral oneromanian capitalăsource comparison taskstaplestartertonictoptop level domaintop resulttop total grade
Adjective(49 words)
key scenekey tenetlargest partleading itemleading sourcemainmain academic subjectmain argumentmain armymain coursemain gathering areasmain pointsmain programmain subjectmain subjectsmain systemmain thememain thrustmajor cnidarian groupsmajor field
Show 29 more words
major organ systemmajor political changemajor reformsmajor releasemajor sectormajor updatemajor-relatedmasteroriginal accountoriginal dataoriginal musical pieceoriginal versionpredominant influenceprimprimary indexprime categoryprime-relatedprimitive operationprimusprincipalprincipal agentprototypicalradical ideasimple activitysimple vocabularystandard taskstarting materialstarting valuetop number
leadingmagisterialmaidenmainmajormandatory primarymastermaterialmaxwell trianglemeremetamermonochromemonolithicmunsell scalenascentnatalnewnonpartisan primaryof a pieceof the essence
Show 96 more words
open primaryoptional primaryorganicoriginaloverridingoverrulingparamountpartisan electionparturientpioneerplainpostnatalpredominantpreeminentpreference primarypregnantpremierprenatalpreparatorypreponderantpresidential electionpresidential preference primarypresidential primaryprevailingprimalprimary colorprimary electionprimeprimevalprimitiveprimogenialprimordialprincipalpristineprocreativeprotogenicprototypalpurepure and simplepure colorradicalrankingreferendumrudimentalrudimentaryrulingrunoffrunoff electionrunoff primarysalientsecondarysecondary colorseminalseveresimon puresimon-puresimplesinglesolar spectrumsovereignsparespecialspectral colorspectrumspectrum colorstaplestarstarkstellarsubstantialsubstantivesupereminentsuperiorsupremetertiarytertiary colortopflighttopmostultimateunadornedunadulterateduncluttereduncopiedunderivedunderlyingundifferencedundifferentiatedunduplicatedunexampleduniformunimitatedunmixedunprecedentedunreproduceduppermostur
Adverb(3 words)
more mainmost major partymost rental
Determiner(5 words)
most animalmost area codemost art movementmost evident factormost key-point
Preposition(1 words)
of prime importance
Verb(2 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ab ovo, abecedarian, aboriginal, all-absorbing, alpha.
- Sentence evidence is available for primary, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, wordnet, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "primary".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "primary"
Keep "primary" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "primary" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "primary", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "primary" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
14 entriesMore specific
16 entriesCollocations
8 entriesprimary careprimary colorprimary electionprimary goalprimary gradeprimary objectiveprimary schoolprimary source
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriesAntonyms
1 entriessimilar
14 entriesSample sentences
35 total sentences available.
It would be very convenient if English were to become everybody's primary language.
Source: tatoeba (26383)
Where to go and what to see were my primary concerns.
Source: tatoeba (38103)
This problem is too difficult for primary school children to solve.
Source: tatoeba (56676)
Showing 4 of 35 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "primary"?
Closest matches include ab ovo, abecedarian, aboriginal, all-absorbing, alpha.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "primary"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.