initially

adverb

ini·​tial·​ly i-ˈni-sh(ə-)lē How to pronounce initially (audio)
: at the beginning : at first
The reason I initially came here was to find work.
It turned out that the situation was not as serious as we had initially believed.
Initially, the symptoms are mild.

Examples of initially in a Sentence

we initially intended to rebuild our hurricane-damaged home from the ground up
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While the Heat departed South Florida earlier than initially scheduled Thursday, Butler previously had made plans to travel separately from the team, meeting them in Milwaukee later in the day. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2025 Narrative promises to explore whether Rebecca’s shocking actions could have deeper justification than initially apparent. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025 Some Palisades residents had initially fought having a reservoir so close, fearing a repeat of the 1963 Baldwin Hills disaster when a reservoir failed, killing five people and destroying about 280 homes. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025 Markets climb on Trump tariff delay Stocks on Wall Street advanced on Tuesday as investors assessed that Trump’s comments and first-day actions around international trade were a bit softer than initially believed. Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for initially 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of initially was circa 1628

Dictionary Entries Near initially

Cite this Entry

“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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