MAIN: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for MAIN?

Need another word that means the same as “main”? Find 44 synonyms and 30 related words for “main” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Main” are: independent, chief, master, primary, principal, head, leading, foremost, most important, major, ruling, dominant, central, focal, key, prime, premier, first, high, grand, fundamental, supreme, predominant, prominent, most prominent, paramount, overriding, cardinal, crucial, vital, critical, capital, pivotal, salient, elemental, essential, staple, intrinsic, urgent, briny, sea, ocean, deep, brine

Main as a Noun

Definitions of "Main" as a noun

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “main” as a noun can have the following definitions:

• A principal cable carrying electricity.
• The source of public water, gas, or electricity supply through pipes or cables.
• The open ocean.
• A principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage.
• Any very large body of (salt) water.
• A principal pipe carrying water or gas to buildings, or taking sewage from them.

Synonyms of "Main" as a noun (5 Words)

brine	A strong solution of salt and water used for pickling. The classic dirty martini includes a few drops of olive brine.
briny	Any very large body of (salt) water. The vortices that suck ships to the bottom of the briny.
deep	A deep part of the sea. In the deep of winter.
ocean	Anything apparently limitless in quantity or volume. She had oceans of energy.
sea	Used to refer to waves as opposed to calm sea. There was still some sea running.

Usage Examples of "Main" as a noun

• The camcorder can be run directly off the mains.
• A faulty gas main.
• Switch off the mains supply.

Main as an Adjective

Definitions of "Main" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “main” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• (of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence.
• Chief in size or importance.
• Capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence.
• Most important element.
• Of force; of the greatest possible intensity.

Synonyms of "Main" as an adjective (39 Words)

capital	Uppercase. A capital idea.
cardinal	Of the greatest importance; fundamental. Two cardinal points must be borne in mind.
central	In or near a center or constituting a center; the inner area. The central cause of the problem.
chief	Most important element. Chief among her concerns is working alone at night.
critical	Expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgements. A critical illness.
crucial	Having crucial relevance. Negotiations were at a crucial stage.
dominant	Denoting the predominant species in a plant or animal community. It is the dominant gene causing polydactyly.
elemental	Related to or embodying the powers of nature. A magical elemental desire.
essential	(of an amino acid or fatty acid) required for normal growth but not synthesized in the body and therefore necessary in the diet. The essential feature.
first	Highest in pitch or chief among parts or voices or instruments or orchestra sections. The first day of spring.
focal	(of a disease or medical condition) occurring in one particular site in the body. Focal point.
foremost	Situated closest to the bow. The foremost compartment of the ship.
fundamental	Far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something. Committed the fundamental error of confusing spending with extravagance.
grand	Very good or enjoyable; excellent. Grand theft.
head	Chief; principal. The head waiter.
high	Being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension sometimes used in combinations like knee high. A round face with a high forehead.
independent	Not controlled by outside forces. I wanted to remain independent in old age.
intrinsic	Belonging to a thing by its very nature- John Dewey. Access to the arts is intrinsic to a high quality of life.
key	Of crucial importance. She became a key figure in the suffragette movement.
leading	Having the leading position or higher score in a contest. We rode in the leading car.
major	Of a premise containing the major term in a categorical syllogism. A major portion of the winnings.
master	Denoting a person skilled in a particular trade and able to teach others. A master bricklayer.
most important	The superlative of `much’ that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by `the’; a quantifier meaning the greatest in amount or extent or degree.
most prominent	Quantifier meaning the greatest in number.
overriding	Having superior power and influence. The overriding concern of the organizers was the financial crisis.
paramount	Having superior power and influence. A paramount chief.
pivotal	Being of crucial importance. A sliding or pivotal motion.
predominant	Having superior power and influence. The predominant political forces.
premier	Preceding all others in time. The premiere showing.
primary	Of primary importance. Seed eating birds and herbivorous insects are primary consumers.
prime	From which another thing may derive or proceed. Any hospital with high costs is a prime candidate for closure.
principal	First in order of importance; main. The country s principal cities.
prominent	Projecting from something; protuberant. A man with big prominent eyes like a lobster s.
ruling	Exercising power or authority. The ruling coalition.
salient	Most noticeable or important. The salient object in my view.
staple	Necessary or important, especially regarding food or commodities. Wheat is a staple crop.
supreme	(of a penalty or sacrifice) involving death. Our comrades who made the supreme sacrifice.
urgent	Of an action or event done or arranged in response to an urgent situation. Bridges in urgent need of repair.
vital	Full of spirit. Secrecy is of vital importance.

Usage Examples of "Main" as an adjective

• The main (or independent) clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb.
• By main strength.
• The main problem is one of resources.
• The main doors were of solid glass.
• A main road.

Associations of "Main" (30 Words)

basal	Forming or belonging to a bottom layer or base. A basal reader.
basic	Pertaining to or constituting a base or basis. Certain basic rules must be obeyed.
capital	One of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis. Our capital concern was to avoid defeat.
central	(of a vowel) articulated in the centre of the mouth. You re in workaholic central here.
chief	An ordinary consisting of a broad horizontal band across the top of the shield. Chief among her concerns is working alone at night.
elementary	Of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education. An elementary astronomy course.
elements	Violent or severe weather viewed as caused by the action of the four elements. They felt the full fury of the elements.
essential	A thing that is absolutely necessary. The essentials of the good life.
essentially	In essence; at bottom or by one’s (or its) very nature. Essentially they are amateurs.
essentialness	Basic importance.
foremost	Before anything else. One of the foremost art collectors of his day.
fundamental	A fundamental note tone or frequency. A fundamental incompatibility between them.
fundamentally	Used to make an emphatic statement about the basic truth of something. Fundamentally this is a matter for doctors.
indispensable	Absolutely necessary. He made himself indispensable to the parish priest.
key	Vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key. She keyed in a series of commands.
leading	Having the leading position or higher score in a contest. The leading team in the pennant race.
major	A major organization or competition. He had to undergo major surgery.
originally	Before now. Potatoes originally came from South America.
paramount	Having superior power and influence. The interests of the child are of paramount importance.
premier	Preceding all others in time. The premiere showing.
prerequisite	Something that is required in advance. The student must have the prerequisite skills.
prima	Used primarily as eating apples. Prima donna.
primal	Relating to an early stage in evolutionary development; primeval. He preys on people s primal fears.
primarily	Of primary import. This is primarily a question of economics.
primary	A primary colour. There is a risk of famine in areas with low primary production from plants.
prime	Cover with a primer apply a primer to. Prime a mine.
principal	An actor who plays a principal role. The principal amount of your investment.
rudimentary	Being in the earliest stages of development. These rudimentary truths.
staple	A piece of thin wire with two short right angled end pieces which are driven by a stapler through sheets of paper to fasten them together. Staple the papers together.
underlying	Lying or situated under something. Guaranteeing more dollars may temporarily ease their troubles but will not alleviate the underlying causes of their poverty.