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.
The Clearwater Ferry was started in 2015 and was initially privately owned, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025 Ipswich crumbled but succeeded initially; better teams can do so for longer. Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025 The star went on to touch upon the more challenging aspects of parenthood in the interview, too, revealing to Harper’s Bazaar that RZA initially struggled with the idea of welcoming a sibling but eventually came around to being a big brother. Clare Fisher, People.com, 28 Apr. 2025 Bacon was initially charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, vehicle theft and evading police, court records say. Harry Harris, Mercury News, 28 Apr. 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

Cite this Entry

“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on initially

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!