What is another word for primary?
Synonyms for primary
ˈpraɪ mɛr i, -mə ripri·ma·ry
This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word primary.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
primary
Aboriginal (Latin ab, from, origo, origin) signifies pertaining to the aborigines or earliest known inhabitants of a country in the widest sense, including not merely human beings but inferior animals and plants as well. Autochthonic (Greek autos, self, and chthōn, earth) signifies sprung from the earth, especially from the soil of one's native land. Primeval (Latin primum, first, and ævum, age), signifies strictly belonging to the first ages, earliest in time, but often only the earliest of which man knows or conceives, immemorial. Aboriginal, autochthonic, and primeval combine the meanings of ancient and original; aboriginal inhabitants, autochthonic races, primeval forests. Prime and primary may signify either first in time, or more frequently first in importance; primary has also the sense of elementary or preparatory; we speak of a prime minister, a primary school. Primal is chiefly poetic, in the sense of prime; as, the primal curse. Primordial is first in an order of succession or development; as, a primordial leaf. Primitive frequently signifies having the original characteristics of that which it represents, as well as standing first in time; as, the primitive church. Primitive also very frequently signifies having the original or early characteristics without remoteness in time. Primeval simplicity is the simplicity of the earliest ages; primitive simplicity may be found in retired villages now. Pristine is an elegant word, used almost exclusively in a good sense of that which is original and perhaps ancient; as, pristine purity, innocence, vigor. That which is both an original and natural product of a soil or country is said to be indigenous; that which is actually produced there is said to be native, though it may be of foreign extraction; humming-birds are indigenous to America; canaries may be native, but are not indigenous. Immemorial refers solely to time, independently of quality, denoting, in legal phrase, "that whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contrary;" as, an immemorial custom; an immemorial abuse. Compare OLD.
Compare synonyms for NEW.
Synonyms:
aboriginal, ancient, autochthonic, immemorial, indigenous, native, old, original, patriarchal, primal, prime, primeval, primitive, primordial, pristine, uncreatedAntonyms:
adventitious, exotic, foreign, fresh, late, modern, new, novel, recent
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
primary
Synonyms:
first, original, earliest, elementary, chief, principal, important, leading, primitive, pristineAntonyms:
secondary, subordinate, posterior, unimportant, inferior, subsequent, later
Princeton's WordNet
primary, primary electionnoun
a preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen
Synonyms:
primary coil, primary feather, primary quill, primary election, primary windingAntonyms:
supplemental, standby, secondhand, alternative, subsidiary, thirdhand, unimportant, derived, supplementary, substitute(a), vicarious, utility(a), secondary, substitute, unessential, alternate, tributary, incident, inessential, auxiliary, collateral, incidental, second-string, indirectprimary, primary feather, primary quillnoun
one of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird's wing
Synonyms:
primary coil, primary feather, primary quill, primary election, primary windingAntonyms:
auxiliary, unessential, secondhand, secondary, vicarious, standby, substitute(a), collateral, alternative, substitute, tributary, alternate, unimportant, incidental, second-string, inessential, supplementary, thirdhand, derived, supplemental, incident, indirect, subsidiary, utility(a)primarynoun
(astronomy) a celestial body (especially a star) relative to other objects in orbit around it
Synonyms:
primary coil, primary feather, primary quill, primary election, primary windingAntonyms:
utility(a), vicarious, alternate, incidental, substitute, secondhand, unimportant, substitute(a), alternative, incident, subsidiary, secondary, second-string, tributary, supplemental, thirdhand, indirect, auxiliary, derived, inessential, supplementary, unessential, standby, collateralprimary coil, primary winding, primaryadjective
coil forming the part of an electrical circuit such that changing current in it induces a current in a neighboring circuit
"current through the primary coil induces current in the secondary coil"
Synonyms:
primary coil, primary feather, primary quill, primary election, primary windingAntonyms:
auxiliary, unessential, subsidiary, tributary, vicarious, second-string, indirect, incidental, utility(a), collateral, secondary, secondhand, alternative, substitute(a), supplementary, alternate, derived, supplemental, incident, thirdhand, standby, substitute, inessential, unimportantprimaryadjective
of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary
"primary goals"; "a primary effect"; "primary sources"; "a primary interest"
Synonyms:
main(a), chief(a), basal, master(a), principal(a), elemental, elementary, primary(a)Antonyms:
secondhand, supplementary, standby, utility(a), tributary, substitute, alternate, incidental, collateral, auxiliary, alternative, vicarious, supplemental, indirect, second-string, thirdhand, subsidiary, substitute(a), secondary, unessential, derived, unimportant, inessential, incidentprimaryadjective
not derived from or reducible to something else; basic
"a primary instinct"
Synonyms:
main(a), chief(a), basal, master(a), principal(a), elemental, elementary, primary(a)Antonyms:
secondary, unessential, vicarious, incident, supplemental, secondhand, collateral, substitute, second-string, alternative, auxiliary, thirdhand, standby, alternate, inessential, subsidiary, unimportant, tributary, incidental, substitute(a), utility(a), supplementary, derived, indirectchief(a), main(a), primary(a), principal(a), master(a)adjective
most important element
"the chief aim of living"; "the main doors were of solid glass"; "the principal rivers of America"; "the principal example"; "policemen were primary targets"; "the master bedroom"; "a master switch"
Antonyms:
incidental, vicarious, tributary, standby, alternative, incident, subsidiary, supplemental, indirect, supplementary, collateral, utility(a), substitute(a), derived, inessential, alternate, secondhand, second-string, auxiliary, unessential, thirdhand, substitute, unimportant, secondaryelementary, elemental, primaryadjective
of or being the essential or basic part
"an elementary need for love and nurturing"
Synonyms:
main(a), chief(a), simple, master(a), elementary, unproblematic, principal(a), elemental, primary(a), basal, uncomplicatedAntonyms:
alternate, thirdhand, secondary, secondhand, tributary, standby, utility(a), supplemental, collateral, indirect, inessential, unessential, incident, substitute(a), alternative, substitute, derived, second-string, incidental, subsidiary, auxiliary, unimportant, vicarious, supplementarybasal, primaryadjective
of primary importance
Synonyms:
main(a), chief(a), base, elementary, master(a), principal(a), elemental, radical, primary(a), basalAntonyms:
tributary, indirect, derived, subsidiary, incident, substitute, supplementary, secondary, vicarious, auxiliary, second-string, unessential, unimportant, secondhand, supplemental, incidental, substitute(a), utility(a), alternate, standby, alternative, collateral, inessential, thirdhand
Matched Categories
Dictionary of English Synonymes
primaryadjective
Synonyms:
primitive, aboriginal, original, primordial, primeval, pristine, firstprimaryadjective
primaryadjective
Synonyms:
elementary, lowest
PPDB, the paraphrase database
List of paraphrases for "primary":
elementary, main, principal, major, first, primaire, basic, key, initial, paramount, overriding, parent, preliminary, primaria, junior, senior, prime, fundamental, grassroots, primary-school, grass-roots, front-line, primordial, core, chief, primaires, leading, essential, overarching, trial, resource-based, input, pre-secondary, principale, primaries
Concise Medical Dictionary, by Joseph C Segen, MD
primary
Synonyms:
Primary cancer
Words popularity by usage frequency
ranking | word | |
---|---|---|
#83 | first | |
#371 | old | |
#373 | main | |
#569 | key | |
#573 | important | |
#638 | major | |
#691 | original | |
#933 | simple | |
#945 | basic | |
#988 | base | |
#1243 | primary | |
#1438 | input | |
#1445 | senior | |
#1452 | trial | |
#1465 | leading | |
#1617 | core | |
#1771 | parent | |
#1793 | chief | |
#1970 | initial | |
#2108 | prime | |
#2131 | essential | |
#2290 | native | |
#2758 | junior | |
#2831 | principal | |
#3218 | elementary | |
#3283 | ancient | |
#4428 | fundamental | |
#5048 | preliminary | |
#6895 | indigenous | |
#6963 | radical | |
#7983 | aboriginal | |
#9914 | earliest | |
#10591 | primitive | |
#11669 | paramount | |
#14313 | grassroots | |
#18555 | basal | |
#18670 | elemental | |
#19297 | pristine | |
#20616 | primal | |
#26134 | overriding | |
#34667 | overarching | |
#37470 | primaries | |
#38702 | primordial | |
#42969 | patriarchal | |
#43534 | uncomplicated | |
#63365 | primeval | |
#68565 | principale | |
#71076 | immemorial | |
#138707 | primaria | |
#147533 | primaire | |
#158527 | uncreated | |
#158805 | unproblematic |
How to use primary in a sentence?
John Hickenlooper still believes John Hickenlooper has an important contribution to make to the Democratic primary debate.
Witnessing a CPR class using The Womanikin, we also noticed The Womanikin offered a natural conversation starter to discuss this issue, it's out of the ordinary, so people talk about it. Creating awareness so people act when they have to is our primary goal.
I'm immensely grateful to Donald Trump, because he's helped frame the central issue of this primary as, 'Who will stand up to Washington?' Well, if that's the central issue, the natural follow-up question is, OK, ' Who has stood up to Washington?' And who's stood up, not just to Democrats but to leaders in their own party, and that there is an enormous difference, if the central question of this primary is who will stand up to Washington and who has stood up to Washington, we win.
There is political skill involved. Michael Bloomberg really has invested heavily in volunteers and headquarters in these early primary and caucus states.
He was 35 at the time when I met him, he was young, super excited and dedicated to it. And he kept that energy up. But over the years, it just became his primary work. He didn’t make money from it. So he had to support himself doing carpentry. And over the years, it certainly took a toll on our relationship.
Translations for primary
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- ابتدائي, أوليArabic
- primària, primari, fonamental, bàsicCatalan, Valencian
- primárníCzech
- primærDanish
- primär, HandschwingeGerman
- πρωτοβάθμιος, πρωτογενήςGreek
- primaria, primario, básicoSpanish
- ابتداییPersian
- siipisulka, ensimmäinen, ekaluokka, ensisijainen, ala-, ensimmäinen luokka, perus-, ensi-, perustaFinnish
- prioritaire, primaireFrench
- ite gàirdeanach, prìomh ite sgèithScottish Gaelic
- मुख्यHindi
- elsődleges, elsőHungarian
- primarioItalian
- 最初Japanese
- 본래Korean
- primærNorwegian
- voornaamsteDutch
- primærNorwegian Nynorsk
- primárioPortuguese
- первичныйRussian
- primärSwedish
- หลักThai
- первиннийUkrainian
- 主Chinese
Get even more translations for primary »
Translation
Find a translation for the primary synonym in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"primary." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/primary>.
Discuss these primary synonyms with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In