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

Need another word that means the same as “primary”? Find 31 synonyms and 30 related words for “primary” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Primary” are: basal, elemental, elementary, chief, main, master, principal, key, prime, central, foremost, first, most important, predominant, paramount, overriding, major, ruling, dominant, supreme, cardinal, ultimate, original, earliest, initial, beginning, primary election, primary feather, primary quill, primary coil, primary winding

Primary as a Noun

Definitions of "Primary" as a noun

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

• A primary colour.
• The Palaeozoic era.
• The body orbited by a smaller satellite or companion.
• A preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen.
• (in the US) a preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to select the candidates for a principal, especially presidential, election.
• One of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird's wing.
• (astronomy) a celestial body (especially a star) relative to other objects in orbit around it.
• Coil forming the part of an electrical circuit such that changing current in it induces a current in a neighboring circuit.
• A primary feather.
• A primary coil or winding in an electrical transformer.
• A celestial body (especially a star) relative to other objects in orbit around it.

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

primary coil	A celestial body (especially a star) relative to other objects in orbit around it.
primary election	Coil forming the part of an electrical circuit such that changing current in it induces a current in a neighboring circuit.
primary feather	A preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen.
primary quill	A celestial body (especially a star) relative to other objects in orbit around it.
primary winding	One of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird’s wing.

Usage Examples of "Primary" as a noun

• Current through the primary coil induces current in the secondary coil.
• These two republicans should win their primaries easily.

Primary as an Adjective

Definitions of "Primary" as an adjective

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

• Denoting or relating to organisms that produce organic compounds from simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide, typically by photosynthesis.
• Relating to or denoting the input side of a transformer or other inductive device.
• Relating to or denoting education for children between the ages of about five and eleven.
• Earliest in time or order.
• Of chief importance; principal.
• (of an organic compound) having its functional group located on a carbon atom which is bonded to no more than one other carbon atom.
• Not derived from, caused by, or based on anything else; original.
• Denoting or relating to consumer organisms at the lowest level in a community's food chain, which eat autotrophic organisms.
• Of or being the essential or basic part.
• Most important element.
• Of primary importance.
• (chiefly of amines) derived from ammonia by replacement of one hydrogen atom by an organic group.
• Of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary.
• Not derived from or reducible to something else; basic.
• Belonging to or directly derived from the first stage of development or growth.

Synonyms of "Primary" as an adjective (26 Words)

basal	Especially of leaves; located at the base of a plant or stem; especially arising directly from the root or rootstock or a root-like stem. A basal reader.
beginning	Serving to begin. The beginning canto of the poem.
cardinal	Being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order. A cardinal rule.
central	Of the greatest importance; principal or essential. Coaches met at a central location.
chief	Having or denoting the highest rank. The chief reason for the spending cuts.
dominant	Denoting the predominant species in a plant or animal community. Television plays a dominant role in molding public opinion.
earliest	Expected in the near future. Verdi s earliest and most raucous opera.
elemental	Of or being the essential or basic part. A magical elemental desire.
elementary	Of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education. The elementary rights of citizenship.
first	Ranking above all others. The first verse.
foremost	Ranking above all others. The foremost figure among marine artists.
initial	Occurring at the beginning. Initial consonants.
key	Serving as an essential component. She became a key figure in the suffragette movement.
main	Capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence. The main or independent clause in a complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb.
major	Of a key based on a major scale tending to produce a bright or joyful effect. He got the major share of the spoils.
master	Having or showing very great skill or proficiency. You don t have to be a master chef in order to cook meat properly.
most important	Quantifier meaning the greatest in number.
original	Not derived or copied or translated from something else. The original inhabitants of the Americas.
overriding	Extending or moving over something, especially while remaining in close contact. Oceanic lithosphere beneath an overriding continental plate.
paramount	Having superior power and influence. A paramount chief.
predominant	Having superior power and influence. The predominant mood among policy makers is optimism.
prime	(of two or more numbers in relation to each other) having no common factor but unity. Prime mover.
principal	Denoting an original sum invested or lent. The country s principal cities.
ruling	Currently exercising authority or influence. The ruling coalition.
supreme	Very good at or well known for a specified activity. A supreme tribunal.
ultimate	Being or happening at the end of a process; final. The ultimate accolade.

Usage Examples of "Primary" as an adjective

• The primary stage of their political education.
• A primary effect.
• Seed-eating birds and herbivorous insects are primary consumers.
• A primary teacher.
• A primary instinct.
• A primary alcohol.
• His expert handling of the primary and secondary literature is clear on every page.
• Primary goals.
• Policemen were primary targets.
• There is a risk of famine in areas with low primary production from plants.
• A primary interest.
• A primary bone tumour.
• Primary sources.
• The government's primary aim is to see significant reductions in unemployment.
• The organic matter is formed by primary producers such as plants and plankton.

Associations of "Primary" (30 Words)

basal	Serving as or forming a base. A basal reader.
base	Debased not genuine. It was built on a base of solid rock.
basic	Offering or constituting the minimum required without elaboration or luxury. A basic story line.
basically	In essence; at bottom or by one’s (or its) very nature. I basically played the same thing every night.
basilar	Of or relating to or located at the base. The basilar membrane of the cochlea.
concept	An idea or invention to help sell or publicize a commodity. A concept car for next month s Geneva motor show.
cornerstone	A stone at the outer corner of two intersecting masonry walls. A national minimum wage remained the cornerstone of policy.
elemental	Denoting uncombined chemical elements. A magical elemental desire.
elementary	Of or pertaining to or characteristic of elementary school or elementary education. The six stages take students from elementary to advanced level.
elements	Violent or severe weather viewed as caused by the action of the four elements. They felt the full fury of the elements.
essential	Absolutely necessary; vitally necessary. He was quick to grasp the essentials of an opponent s argument.
essentially	In essence; at bottom or by one’s (or its) very nature. Essentially they are amateurs.
essentialness	Basic importance.
fundamental	A fundamental note tone or frequency. Two courses cover the fundamentals of microbiology.
fundamentally	In central or primary respects. Fundamentally this is a matter for doctors.
hypostasis	Essential nature or underlying reality.
indispensable	Unavoidable. He made himself indispensable to the parish priest.
main	Capable of standing syntactically alone as a complete sentence. A main road.
nursery	A place where young children are cared for during the working day a nursery school. Toys and nursery furniture.
originally	In an original manner. Potatoes originally came from South America.
preschool	A nursery school. A preschool playgroup.
primarily	For the most part. Around 80 per cent of personal computers are used primarily for word processing.
radically	In a radical manner. You must radically change the way you do business.
rudiment	A basic pattern used by drummers, such as the roll, the flam, and the paradiddle. Meckel s diverticulum is the rudiment of the embryonic yolk sac.
rudimentary	Being or involving basic facts or principles. These rudimentary truths.
schooling	The training of a horse on the flat or over fences. Schooling fences.
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. Wheat is a staple crop.
toddler	A young child who is just beginning to walk.
underlying	Located beneath or below. Guaranteeing more dollars may temporarily ease their troubles but will not alleviate the underlying causes of their poverty.
vital	Full of energy; lively. He felt the familiar knot contract in his vitals.