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.
As gutting as that was, the team received uplifting news on each player Monday indicating that neither injury was as serious as initially thought. Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025 If all of this sounds very fast, Collier initially planned to move even quicker. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2025 Authorities were initially called to the home in response to a disconnected 911 call, but upon arrival, discovered the injured and unresponsive student. Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025 The intentions in the previous investments were initially linear, building on what was already there. Bipul Sinha, Fortune, 27 Oct. 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 3 Nov. 2025.

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