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
Heat trainers initially called for a stretcher to be brought out, but the stretcher ultimately wasn’t needed.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
Parkinson got into the end zone, and the play was initially ruled a touchdown.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025
While federal law enforcement officers initially detained one suspect for the shooting, that person has since been released as the investigation continues.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 15 Dec. 2025
The Bush administration initially declined to prosecute him, but this changed under the Obama administration, which imprisoned Kiriakou in 2013 for 30 months.
—Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for initially
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Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
Parkinson got into the end zone, and the play was initially ruled a touchdown.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025
While federal law enforcement officers initially detained one suspect for the shooting, that person has since been released as the investigation continues.
—Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 15 Dec. 2025
The Bush administration initially declined to prosecute him, but this changed under the Obama administration, which imprisoned Kiriakou in 2013 for 30 months.
—Kate Kenny, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for initially
Cite this Entry
“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
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