largely

Meanings

1. 1adverbnot comparable

   For the most part, though not completely; mainly.

   Grammar: Usually comes before the word it modifies: largely true, largely because of the rain.

   Patterns

   • largely because of something
   • largely due to something
   • largely unknown

   The town was largely destroyed by the flood.

   Her success was largely due to years of practice.

   The report is largely accurate, but it misses a few details.

2. 2adverbnot comparableold-fashionedrare

   On a big scale; generously. This use is old-fashioned and rare today.

   Grammar: Appears mostly in older writing, often after a verb.

   Patterns

   • give largely
   • spend largely

   The old merchant gave largely to the city's schools.

   In his youth he spent largely and saved nothing.

   The king rewarded his officers largely after the victory.

Common combinations

largely because of

The delay happened largely because of staff shortages.

largely unknown

The author was largely unknown before her third novel.

largely ignored

The warnings were largely ignored by the public.

largely responsible

He was largely responsible for the team's recovery.

largely a matter of

Good cooking is largely a matter of patience.

Synonyms and how they differ

mostly

Mostly is more casual and common in speech, while largely sounds slightly more formal and analytical.

mainly

Mainly points to the chief reason or part, whereas largely stresses how big the share is.

chiefly

Chiefly is more formal and picks out the most important cause or element.

to a great extent

To a great extent is a longer phrase that fits at the start or end of a sentence, where largely sits best before a verb or adjective.

Opposites

Word family

large adjective

big in size or amount

largeness noun

the quality of being big

enlarge verb

to make bigger

Commonly confused: largely or largly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “largely”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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