mainly great

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "mainly great" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that is predominantly positive or excellent, while acknowledging that there may be some minor issues or drawbacks. Example: "The event was mainly great, with engaging speakers and a lively atmosphere, although the food could have been better."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Samsung +is mainly great for solving small problems, but even the smallest issues can keep some people from using their devices at all.

TechCrunch

"Grindr is great but it's mainly great for white, financially secure men.

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

The data were selected from hundreds of available FDSN seismograms to have good azimuthal coverage and several minutes of time after the P arrival preceding the PP phase; this limits epicentral distances to be mainly greater than 50°.

Earth, Planets and Space

The literature points out some advantages to working in PHC centers in rural settings; mainly greater autonomy in caring for patients and ability to better utilize professional skills [ 2].

Human Resources for Health

The crowd, 130,000 strong according to police, consisted mainly of great groups of employees somehow linked to the state.

The Guardian

But the company consisted mainly of great molecular biologists producing exciting transgenic plants, and what they really needed was a plant physiologist who could assess these new plants.

Science Magazine

The distribution of treatment intensity was different within the different age groups, but the differences seemed to be clinically insignificant and reflected mainly the great size of the study population.

Annals of Intensive Care

Most of other measurement applications of AD-converters request mainly a great relative accuracy of conversion, but the absorbance is computed as a logarithm of the measured ratio between the measurement and the reference optical sensor response.

IFAC Proceedings Volumes

In the beginning, you'll remember mainly the great times you had together.

Huffington Post

But it's mainly a great learning experience -- not just for the student competitors but for us, their mentors.

Huffington Post

Bristol Temple Meads, near the centre, sees mainly First Great Western services, including regular high speed trains to London Paddington, as well as other local, regional and CrossCountry trains.

Wikipedia

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "mainly great" to convey a generally positive assessment while acknowledging minor imperfections or areas for improvement. It's ideal when you want to avoid overly enthusiastic or absolute praise.

Common error

Avoid using "mainly great" when the subject is overwhelmingly positive with virtually no drawbacks. In such cases, stronger, unqualified adjectives like "excellent" or "superb" are more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "mainly great" functions as an adverb-adjective combination used to qualify a noun or situation. It indicates that the subject is largely positive or excellent, but not entirely without flaws. As Ludwig AI points out, it's a grammatically correct expression.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "mainly great" is a useful expression for conveying a generally positive sentiment while acknowledging minor flaws. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and suitability for expressing a balanced assessment. While not overly common, the phrase appears in various contexts, particularly in News & Media and Science. When a more emphatic or precise evaluation is needed, alternatives like "mostly excellent" or "largely positive" can be considered.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

mostly excellent

Replaces "mainly" with "mostly", indicating a high degree of excellence with minor imperfections.

largely positive

Shifts focus to overall positivity rather than just greatness, suitable when the positive aspects outweigh any negatives.

generally outstanding

Uses a stronger adjective, "outstanding", to emphasize the exceptional quality while maintaining the general scope.

primarily superb

Emphasizes the 'superb' nature as the main characteristic but might allow for exceptions.

chiefly wonderful

Highlights the 'wonderful' nature of something as its most important trait.

predominantly first-rate

Highlights something as mainly of the highest quality.

substantially impressive

Focuses on the significant impact of something, indicating it leaves a strong positive impression.

noticeably remarkable

Emphasizes the quality of being noteworthy and exceptional.

markedly exceptional

Uses 'markedly' to show that the thing is noticeably better than standard.

principally magnificent

Uses "principally" to highlight that the magnificence is the most important feature.

FAQs

How can I use "mainly great" in a sentence?

Use "mainly great" to describe something that is generally positive, but has minor flaws or areas for improvement. For example, "The concert was mainly great, but the sound system had some issues".

What's a good alternative to "mainly great"?

You can use alternatives such as "mostly excellent", "largely positive", or "generally outstanding" to express similar sentiments.

Is it better to say "mainly great" or "completely great"?

It depends on the context. "Mainly great" suggests some minor imperfections, while "completely great" implies perfection. Choose the phrase that accurately reflects the subject's qualities.

What's the difference between "mainly great" and "somewhat good"?

"Mainly great" indicates a generally positive assessment with slight drawbacks, while "somewhat good" suggests a more neutral or slightly positive evaluation with more significant shortcomings.