initially
adverb
ini·tial·ly
i-ˈni-sh(ə-)lē 
: 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
Not that Julian sees much kinship, initially, with his new assistant.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
All of these announcements coincide with lawmakers and regulators, who initially appeared caught flat-footed by the sudden rise of prediction markets, recently vowing to take action against insider trading.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
As questions mount about Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ handling of the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, two sources with knowledge of the department say his management decisions initially pulled the most experienced investigators off the case.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Later, when Shell expressed appreciation, Cipriani pitched Star Serenade, initially over the phone — presuming the executive would, at the least, boost its chance for an inside track at a green light.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for initially
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.
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
All of these announcements coincide with lawmakers and regulators, who initially appeared caught flat-footed by the sudden rise of prediction markets, recently vowing to take action against insider trading.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
As questions mount about Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos’ handling of the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, two sources with knowledge of the department say his management decisions initially pulled the most experienced investigators off the case.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Later, when Shell expressed appreciation, Cipriani pitched Star Serenade, initially over the phone — presuming the executive would, at the least, boost its chance for an inside track at a green light.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for initially
Cite this Entry
“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
