- primary
- I(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)adj. chief, original, initial, primal, first, elementary; immediate; primitive, prime, principal. See beginning, cause, importance.Ant., secondary.II(Roget's IV) modif.1. [Earliest]Syn. primitive, initial, first; see original 1 .2. [Fundamental]Syn. elemental, basic, central; see fundamental 1 .3. [Principal]Syn. chief, prime, main; see principal .III(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.1. first original, earliest, primal, primordial, introductory, initial, beginning.2. main principal, chief, basic, essential, fundamental, first, capital, major.ANT.: 1. secondary, succeeding. 2. minor, secondaryIV(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Most important, influential, or significant: capital, cardinal, chief, first, foremost, key, leading, main, major, number one, paramount, premier, prime, principal, top. See IMPORTANT. 2. Preceding all others in time: earliest, first, initial, maiden, original, pioneer, prime, primordial. See START. 3. Not derived from something else: original, prime, primitive. See START. 4. Arising from or going to the root or source: basal, basic, foundational, fundamental, original, radical, underlying. See SURFACE. 5. Marked by the absence of any intervention: direct, firsthand, immediate. See CLEAR, NEAR.
English dictionary for students. 2013.