primary

More important than anything else involved.

• Safety is our primary concern.
• Her primary reason for moving was work.
• What is the primary purpose of this meeting?

Similar words: main, chief, principal

Opposites: secondary

Common phrases: primary concern, primary purpose, primary responsibility

Coming first in a series or at the earliest stage.

• She teaches at a primary school.
• Children receive primary education before secondary education.
• The primary stage of the process takes two days.

Similar words: first, initial

Common phrases: primary school, primary education, primary stage

Basic or simple, with other things built or developed from it.

• Red is a primary color in this paint set.
• Mixing primary colors produces other colors.
• The diagram shows the primary elements of the system.

Similar words: basic, fundamental

Opposites: secondary

Common phrases: primary colors, primary colours, primary elements

Formed first, before later things develop from it.

• The rock still contains its primary minerals.
• Primary tissues form before later growth begins.
• Scientists examined the plant’s primary structure.

Similar words: original, initial

Opposites: secondary

Common phrases: primary minerals, primary tissue, primary structure

An election to choose a party’s candidate for a later election, or to narrow the candidates.

• She won the primary.
• Voters will choose their candidate in Tuesday’s primary.
• Several states hold primaries next month.

Similar words: primary election

Common phrases: win a primary, presidential primary, party primary

A school for young children before they move to secondary school.

• Our village has one primary.
• She teaches at the local primary.
• Both primaries are accepting new pupils.

Similar words: primary school, elementary school

Common phrases: local primary, village primary, attend a primary

The place in the body where a disease, especially cancer, first began.

• Doctors could not locate the primary.
• Tests showed that the primary was in the lung.
• The cancer had spread from a small primary.

Similar words: primary site

Common phrases: unknown primary, locate the primary, lung primary

The first year or class in elementary school.

• The old register lists him in primary.
• Children in primary learned to read simple words.
• She entered primary when she was six.

Similar words: first grade

Common phrases: in primary, enter primary