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
The study was initially published in 2023 but has been updated as of May 2025.
—
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Another passenger alleged the two disruptive individuals were initially not complying with police who boarded the plane.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Star police initially responded to the victim’s call, but Eagle police took over after learning the crime took place in their area.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2025
Many are expecting that number to show the job creation was significantly lower than initially thought.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
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.
Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Another passenger alleged the two disruptive individuals were initially not complying with police who boarded the plane.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Star police initially responded to the victim’s call, but Eagle police took over after learning the crime took place in their area.
—Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 8 Sep. 2025
Many are expecting that number to show the job creation was significantly lower than initially thought.
—Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share