primarily affect

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "primarily affect" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something has a main or dominant impact on something else. Example: "The new policy will primarily affect low-income families, providing them with additional support."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

What animal(s) does it primarily affect?

The New York Times

They said that an armed conflict between the north and south would primarily affect Korean civilians.

The New York Times

He said the immigration provision would primarily affect criminals and suspected terrorists.

The New York Times

He said that would primarily affect Northwest's flights from Minneapolis and Detroit to destinations in Canada.

The New York Times

For example, dangers that primarily affect children evoke more concern than actions that pose an equal risk to adults.

The New York Times

The fee takes effect Dec. 5, and will primarily affect passengers flying on discount economy-class tickets.

The New York Times

The redesign will primarily affect how Yahoo's search engine's results are displayed and not the way that requests are processed.

The Guardian - Tech

These cuts would primarily affect very-low-income families with children, seniors and people with disabilities".

The New York Times

An official at Lonza, which employs 6,200 people in eight countries, said the job cuts would primarily affect the United States and Europe.

The New York Times

Thanks to Paul Krugman for pointing out that the cuts in the Bush Social Security plan would primarily affect middle-income workers.

The New York Times

Because drug companies see little chance of recouping their costs, they undertake very little research on diseases that primarily affect poor countries.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "primarily affect", ensure that the sentence clearly identifies what is being affected and the nature of the primary impact. Be specific about the cause-and-effect relationship to avoid ambiguity.

Common error

Avoid using "primarily affect" when the impact is only minor or secondary. Ensure the effect described is indeed the most significant one; otherwise, choose a more appropriate phrase like "may also affect" or "can influence".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "primarily affect" functions as a verb phrase indicating the principal influence or impact of one thing on another. It is used to highlight the most significant effect among potentially multiple outcomes. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and widespread use.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

47%

News & Media

39%

Formal & Business

3%

Less common in

Wiki

2%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "primarily affect" is a grammatically correct and frequently used expression to denote the principal impact or influence of something. Ludwig AI confirms its validity and widespread use across various contexts. Predominantly found in scientific and news media sources, it serves to specify the primary entity or area experiencing the most significant consequence. Related phrases include "mainly influence" and "chiefly affect", offering slight variations in emphasis. When using "primarily affect", ensure the described effect is indeed the most significant to maintain accuracy and avoid overstatement.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

principally affect

Replaces "primarily" with "principally", maintaining the focus on the main effect but suggesting a slightly more formal tone.

chiefly affect

Substitutes "primarily" with "chiefly", highlighting the most important or dominant effect.

predominantly affect

Replaces "primarily" with "predominantly", emphasizing that the effect is more noticeable or widespread than others.

mainly influence

Replaces "affect" with "influence", changing the term from direct consequence to indirect impact, while maintaining the essence of the main effect via "mainly".

largely impact

Replaces "primarily" with "largely" and "affect" with "impact" indicating that the influence is significant or substantial in scale.

mostly impact

Replaces "primarily affect" with "mostly impact" keeping a similar meaning, but maybe implying a quantitative aspect of the impact.

significantly alter

Replaces "primarily affect" with "significantly alter", focusing on substantial changes or modifications as the main result.

substantially modify

Replaces "primarily affect" with "substantially modify" implying a notable degree of change.

notably influence

Replaces "primarily affect" with "notably influence" focusing on the influence that is easily observed or is significant.

especially impact

Replaces "primarily affect" with "especially impact" indicating a particular emphasis or degree of influence.

FAQs

How can I use "primarily affect" in a sentence?

Use "primarily affect" to indicate the main impact something has. For example, "The budget cuts will primarily affect educational programs."

What are some alternatives to using "primarily affect"?

You can use alternatives such as "mainly influence", "chiefly affect", or "predominantly affect" depending on the context.

What does "primarily affect" mean?

"Primarily affect" means to have the main or most significant influence or impact on something.

Is there a difference between "primarily affect" and "secondarily affect"?

"Primarily affect" indicates the main impact, while "secondarily affect" suggests a less important or consequential impact. If something "primarily affects" something, that's its major effect, but something that "secondarily affects" something has a lesser, indirect impact.