as in originally
in the beginning
firstly, gather all the ingredients together
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Recent Examples of firstly
In a recent strategy memo, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm firstly and optimistically assumes the party will hold Michigan and New Hampshire, where Democratic incumbents are choosing not to seek another term, and Georgia, where Sen. Jon Ossoff is.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Um, firstly, thank you everybody for, for, for coming and joining us today for this conversation.
—Outside Online, 21 Jan. 2026
The resurgence of trends that were popular back in the 1990s came firstly as quite the surprise.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Philip Elliott, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
Um, firstly, thank you everybody for, for, for coming and joining us today for this conversation.
—Outside Online, 21 Jan. 2026
The resurgence of trends that were popular back in the 1990s came firstly as quite the surprise.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firstly
Adverb
-
There is, of course, the ever-tightening constraints of the international publishing market that limit the reach of any book not either a) originally published in English or b) published in a country with the money to ensure its translation and distribution into English.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Tobia Scarpa, architect and designer, who is the son of Venetian architect and design god Carlo Scarpa was summoned back by FLOS at age 91 to tweak the design of his Seki-Han, a lamp originally issued from 1963 to 1966.—
Anthony Paletta,
Curbed,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
The news that SoFi Stadium would host the World Cup was initially exciting, said 64-year-old Susana Lahargue, who has worked there for three years.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
18 May 2026
-
While some customers admitted the pistachio cheesecake’s roughly $26 price point initially gave them pause, many said the massive dessert is large enough to serve a crowd or freeze for later.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Firstly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firstly. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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