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.
Enthusiasm for clean energy initially pushed the first wind turbines into existence in the U.S. without considering the environmental and monetary costs that would be involved in either upgrading or bringing projects to a close later in their life cycle. Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 The House Ethics Committee had initially voted to keep the report under wraps, but reversed course in a secret vote earlier this month. Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2024 Lewis, who read the quarterback perfectly and was initially positioned near the back of the end zone, broke hard toward the area before Maye had finished his delivery. Joe Buscaglia, The Athletic, 23 Dec. 2024 And there’s Hot Frosty, the story of lonely widow Kathy (played by Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert) who finds comfort in a handsome (again, initially topless) male stranger, who turns out to be a snowman brought to life. Charley Ross, Glamour, 23 Dec. 2024 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 26 Dec. 2024.

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