initially

adverb

ini·​tial·​ly i-ˈni-sh(ə-)lē How to pronounce initially (audio)
Synonyms of initiallynext
: 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.
Sorsby, who admitted to placing a number of bets on games involving his own team, was initially deemed ineligible to play in the upcoming 2026 season. Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026 Nine people, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, were initially arrested with 30 more later indicted on federal charges in connection with the incident. Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 10 June 2026 That rebound, initially estimated for the second half of 2027, will now more likely occur in fiscal year 2028, the analysts said. Bloomberg, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 The most recent buy signal initially appeared to suffer the same fate in mid-May, but the ensuing pullback produced a marginal higher low and buyers returned as June began. Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 10 June 2026 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 12 Jun. 2026.

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