Literary notes about Primarily (AI summary)
The term "primarily" is employed in literature to underscore the chief or most significant aspect of a subject in contrast to secondary elements. Authors use it to indicate that a particular function, cause, or characteristic holds preeminence in a given context. For instance, it helps to clarify the intended focus in interpersonal interactions, as in highlighting that denials might be aimed mostly at the listeners [1], or in delineating the central motive behind an emotional state [2]. It is also used to classify function and purpose, whether describing a tool's predominant use [3] or establishing the main domain of authority or influence [4]. This strategic use underlines a prioritization that guides readers toward understanding the core issues beneath a narrative or argument.
- Were her denials intended primarily for the listeners?
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - If he is sad, it is primarily because he consents to being sad, and he consents to it in order to affirm his faith.
— from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim - I use the Internet primarily for research.
— from Entretiens / Interviews / Entrevistas by Marie Lebert - It is in these effects, therefore, if anywhere, that the value of philosophy must be primarily sought.
— from The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
