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Glite Dictionary
for the most part

for the most part

261 3.2
It happens in most cases but not always
  • idiom
translation icon : en su mayoría
  • We hit a patch of ice and crashed, but we're okay for the most part.
  • for the most part avoided
  • for the most part ignored
  • for the most part, however

And for the most part, I hated writing.

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Examples

  • For the most part, they seem like a trustworthy group of people.

    Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

  • Sure, the movie ends with a murder, but for the most part, it celebrates friendship.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • And I think that people do, for the most part, want to get out of it.

  • And those ones, for the most part, they were just not me.

  • But for the most part, I love to have all of them.

    Allana Davison

  • Every corporation in the world, for the most part, will get away with whatever they can get away with.

    Takeout (2020)

  • We have argued in this paper that, for the most part, they do not.

    Academic text (1990)

  • I'm not saying it's perfect, but for the most part it works.

  • For the most part, Alisa was cool with that side of my life.

    American Wisper (2020)

  • For the most part, the team performed well throughout the season.

Synonyms

mostly
vsfor the most part
∞ 1.0

For the most part

is broader, stating a general pattern while allowing clear exceptions
pretty much
vsfor the most part
  • Informal
∞ 3.0

Almost completely but not quite

is more formal and states a general condition allowing exceptions
largely
vsfor the most part
602 2.4

For the most part

is more neutral, focusing on general cases rather than degree
primarily
vsfor the most part
457 2.4

To be mostly about one main thing

is wider, describing general cases not only central focus or intent
mainly
vsfor the most part
418 1.0

For the most part

is similar but framed as an overall general situation rather than cause
predominantly
vsfor the most part
103 3.7

Mainly true in most cases

is more general, emphasizing overall truth while admitting exceptions
by and large
vsfor the most part
89 3.4

To say that something is true in most cases

is similar but is slightly more neutral and widely applicable
principally
vsfor the most part
31 4.0

Mostly or for the most part

is less formal and used for general, everyday observations
chiefly
vsfor the most part
22 3.0

Mainly or for the most part

is broader, describing overall situations rather than a single dominant part
in the main
vsfor the most part
9 3.7

In most cases

is equivalent in meaning but used more flexibly across contexts
majorly
vsfor the most part
  • UK
3 6.7

For the most part

is more neutral and suitable for both formal and informal use

Antonyms

rarely
539 1.0

Happens only a few times

seldom
122 1.7

Not happening or done very often

How Much

mostly
∞ 1.0
for the most part
261 3.2
in general
219 1.6
in part
374 2.2

Surface Forms

for the most part positive

Morphology

for + the + most + part

The sense 'mainly/mostly' is directly derivable from combining 'most' (majority) and 'part' (portion), with 'for' marking the extent or scope of that portion. This compositional pattern is common and has clear cross-linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

For the most part comes from a simple image: think of something divided into pieces and the most or biggest part of it. So, for the most part means 'mostly' because you are talking about what is true for the largest piece.