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Primary synonyms

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primitive
(Biol.) Designating or of an organism, organ, etc. at the starting point of its evolutionary development or very little evolved from early ancestral types
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  1. (Biol.) Designating or of an organism, organ, etc. at the starting point of its evolutionary development or very little evolved from early ancestral types
  2. Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution:
  3. Of or relating to a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially one that is characterized by an absence of literacy and a low level of economic or technological complexity:
initial
Having to do with, indicating, or occurring at the beginning
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  1. Having to do with, indicating, or occurring at the beginning
  2. Of, relating to, or occurring at the beginning; first:
  3. Designating the first letter or letters of a word.
first
Preceding all others in a series; before any other; 1st
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  1. Preceding all others in a series; before any other; 1st
  2. Corresponding in order to the number one.
  3. Ranking above all others, as in importance or quality; foremost:
elemental
Basic and powerful; not subtle or refined; primal
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  1. Basic and powerful; not subtle or refined; primal
  2. Fundamental or essential; basic.
  3. Being an essential or basic part or parts
basic
Designating, of, or resulting from a process of manufacturing steel from high-phosphorus iron, in which the refining agent is a basic slag formed from a basic furnace lining and the addition of lime
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  1. Designating, of, or resulting from a process of manufacturing steel from high-phosphorus iron, in which the refining agent is a basic slag formed from a basic furnace lining and the addition of lime
  2. Of, relating to, or forming a base; fundamental:
  3. Of, being, or serving as a starting point or basis:
central
Easily reached from various points:
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  1. Easily reached from various points:
  2. Having dominant or controlling power or influence:
  3. Of or constituting a single source controlling all components of a system:
chief
Highest, as in rank or office; foremost
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  1. Highest, as in rank or office; foremost
  2. Most important or significant; main; principal
  3. Highest in rank, authority, or office:
prime
Being the most desired or suitable example of something:
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  1. Being the most desired or suitable example of something:
  2. Highest in quality; excellent:
  3. First or highest in rank or importance; main:
main
Most important; principal.
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  1. Most important; principal.
  2. Chief in size, extent, importance, etc.; principal; leading; specif., designating a large central unit on which subsidiaries or branches depend
  3. (Nautical) Connected to or located near the mainmast:
capital
Of or relating to financial assets, especially being or related to those financial assets that add to the net worth of a business:
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  1. Of or relating to financial assets, especially being or related to those financial assets that add to the net worth of a business:
  2. Most important or most serious; principal; chief
  3. First and foremost; principal:
cardinal
Bright-red, like the robe of a cardinal
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  1. Bright-red, like the robe of a cardinal
  2. Of foremost importance; paramount:
  3. Of main importance; principal; chief
chief
Highest, as in rank or office; foremost
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  1. Highest, as in rank or office; foremost
  2. Highest in rank, authority, or office:
  3. Most important or significant; main; principal
first
Ranking before all others; foremost in rank, quality, importance, etc.; principal
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  1. Ranking before all others; foremost in rank, quality, importance, etc.; principal
  2. Corresponding in order to the number one.
  3. Ranking above all others, as in importance or quality; foremost:
foremost
More prominent or important than others, especially in position or rank:
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  1. More prominent or important than others, especially in position or rank:
  2. First in rank or importance; leading
key
Of crucial importance; significant:
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  1. Of crucial importance; significant:
  2. Controlling; essential; important
leading
Having a position in the lead; foremost:
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  1. Having a position in the lead; foremost:
  2. Principal; chief
  3. Ranking first.
main
Most important; principal.
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  1. Most important; principal.
  2. (Nautical) Connected to or located near the mainmast:
  3. Chief in size, extent, importance, etc.; principal; leading; specif., designating a large central unit on which subsidiaries or branches depend
major
Characterized by major intervals, scales, etc.
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  1. Characterized by major intervals, scales, etc.
  2. Designating a triad having intervals of a major third between the lower two pitches, and a minor third between the upper two pitches
  3. Equivalent to the distance between the tonic note and the second or third or sixth or seventh degrees of a major scale or mode:
number one
First in rank, order, or importance:
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  1. First in rank, order, or importance:
paramount
Highest in rank, power, or authority:
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  1. Highest in rank, power, or authority:
  2. Of chief concern or importance:
premier
First in status or importance; principal or chief:
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  1. First in status or importance; principal or chief:
prime
Being the most desired or suitable example of something:
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  1. Being the most desired or suitable example of something:
  2. From which others are derived; fundamental; basic
  3. First or highest in rank or importance; main:
principal
Highest or among the highest in rank, authority, importance, degree, etc.
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  1. Highest or among the highest in rank, authority, importance, degree, etc.
  2. Of, relating to, or being financial principal, or a principal in a financial transaction.
  3. First or highest in rank or importance.
top
Of, situated at, or being the top; uppermost, highest, greatest, or foremost
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  1. Of, situated at, or being the top; uppermost, highest, greatest, or foremost
  2. Of the highest degree, quality, rank, or amount:
  3. Of or having to do with the Top 40 or the kind of popular music they represent
earliest
Superlative form of early: most early
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  1. Superlative form of early: most early
first
Happening or acting before all others; earliest
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  1. Happening or acting before all others; earliest
  2. Corresponding in order to the number one.
  3. Ranking above all others, as in importance or quality; foremost:
initial
Having to do with, indicating, or occurring at the beginning
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  1. Having to do with, indicating, or occurring at the beginning
  2. Of, relating to, or occurring at the beginning; first:
  3. Designating the first letter or letters of a word.
maiden
Of, characteristic of, or suitable for a maiden
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  1. Of, characteristic of, or suitable for a maiden
  2. Never having won a race
  3. First or earliest; inaugural
original
Capable of or given to inventing or creating something new, or thinking or acting in an independent, individual, fresh way
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  1. Capable of or given to inventing or creating something new, or thinking or acting in an independent, individual, fresh way
  2. Being the source from which a copy, reproduction, or translation is made.
  3. Having to do with an origin; first; earliest
pioneer
Leading the way; trailblazing:
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  1. Leading the way; trailblazing:
  2. Of, relating to, or characteristic of early settlers:
  3. Being one of the first of its kind
prime
From which others are derived; fundamental; basic
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  1. From which others are derived; fundamental; basic
  2. Being the most desired or suitable example of something:
  3. First in quality; of the highest excellence
primordial
(Biol.) Earliest formed in the development of an organism, organ, structure, etc.; primitive
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  1. (Biol.) Earliest formed in the development of an organism, organ, structure, etc.; primitive
  2. Not derivative; fundamental; original
  3. Being or happening first in sequence of time; original.
original
Showing a marked departure from previous practice; new:
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  1. Showing a marked departure from previous practice; new:
  2. Not derived from something else; fresh and unusual:
  3. Preceding all others in time; first:
prime
Being the most desired or suitable example of something:
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  1. Being the most desired or suitable example of something:
  2. First or highest in rank or importance; main:
  3. Highest in quality; excellent:
primitive
Not resulting from conscious thought or deliberation; unconscious or instinctual:
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  1. Not resulting from conscious thought or deliberation; unconscious or instinctual:
  2. Characterized by simplicity or crudity; unsophisticated:
  3. (Linguistics) Serving as the basis for derived or inflected forms:
basal
Of, relating to, located at, or forming a base.
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  1. Of, relating to, located at, or forming a base.
  2. Of primary importance; basic.
  3. Being the base or basis; basic; fundamental
basic
A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language.
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  1. A simple programming language developed in the 1960s that is widely taught to students as a first programming language.
  2. Designating, of, or resulting from a process of manufacturing steel from high-phosphorus iron, in which the refining agent is a basic slag formed from a basic furnace lining and the addition of lime
  3. Of, being, or serving as a starting point or basis:
fundamental
Of or forming a foundation or basis; basic; essential
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  1. Of or forming a foundation or basis; basic; essential
  2. On which others are based; primary; original
  3. Relating to what is basic; radical
original
Being the source from which a copy, reproduction, or translation is made.
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  1. Being the source from which a copy, reproduction, or translation is made.
  2. Preceding all others in time; first:
  3. Not derived from something else; fresh and unusual:
radical
(Medicine) Relating to or being surgery that is extreme or drastic in an effort to eradicate all existing or potential disease:
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  1. (Medicine) Relating to or being surgery that is extreme or drastic in an effort to eradicate all existing or potential disease:
  2. Arising from or going to a root or source; basic:
  3. Favoring fundamental or extreme change; specif., favoring basic change in the social or economic structure
underlying
Taking precedence; prior:
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  1. Taking precedence; prior:
  2. Basic; fundamental:
  3. Basic or fundamental
direct
Effected by action of the voters, rather than through elected representatives or delegates:
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  1. Effected by action of the voters, rather than through elected representatives or delegates:
  2. Having no intervening persons, conditions, or agencies; immediate:
  3. Being of unbroken descent; lineal:
firsthand
Received from the original source:
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  1. Received from the original source:
  2. Direct, without intermediate stages.
  3. From the original producer or source; direct
immediate
Acting or occurring without the interposition of another agency or object; direct:
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  1. Acting or occurring without the interposition of another agency or object; direct:
  2. Directly affecting; direct; firsthand
  3. Not separated in space; in direct contact; closest; nearest
Find another word for primary. In this page you can discover 54 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for primary, like: primitive, initial, first, elemental, basic, central, chief, prime, main, original and fundamental.

Sentence Examples

  • Support was heavy for the school's primary sport.

  • You guys are his primary target and don't ever forget it for a minute.

  • "August is only the primary," Dean answered, but they both knew in the near one-party County of Ouray, that was tantamount to the final election.

  • Citizens in these countries are grateful for any job that pays anything at all, and their primary concern is simply survival.

  • There we have command and power in their primary form.

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Words near primary in the Thesaurus