Meaning & use
mostly
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Meanings
adverb
Mainly or usually; in most cases but not completely.
Grammar: Typically comes before the verb or adjective it modifies: The team is mostly young.
Patterns
- mostly + adjective
- mostly + verb
- mostly + noun
The students are mostly from Japan.
I mostly drink tea in the morning.
The movie was mostly funny, but a few scenes were sad.
adverb
To the greatest extent; for the most part.
Grammar: Can be used to soften a statement that is not absolute: The work is mostly done.
Patterns
- mostly + past participle
- mostly + adjective
The house is mostly painted, but the back wall needs another coat.
She was mostly responsible for the project's success.
Common combinations
- mostly because
- I chose the hotel mostly because of its location.
- mostly sunny
- Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a light breeze.
- mostly harmless
- The spider looks scary but is mostly harmless.
- mostly used
- This word is mostly used in informal speech.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mainly
- Similar to 'mostly', but 'mainly' often emphasizes the primary reason or purpose: The group is mainly for teenagers.
- chiefly
- More formal than 'mostly' and often used in writing: The region is chiefly agricultural.
- generally
- Suggests a broad rule with exceptions; 'mostly' focuses on frequency or proportion: Generally, the bus is on time.
- largely
- Emphasizes a great extent, often with a sense of 'to a large degree': The success was largely due to luck.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: mostly or most? mostly or almost?
mostly vs most
'Most' is a determiner or pronoun meaning the majority; 'mostly' is an adverb meaning mainly. Compare: Most students passed. / The students were mostly happy.
mostly vs almost
'Almost' means nearly but not quite; 'mostly' means for the most part. Compare: I almost finished. / I mostly finished.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Mostly' usually comes before the adjective or verb it modifies. 'She is mostly tired' means she is tired most of the time. The other options are less natural or change the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mostly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.