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

Recent Examples on the Web According to Dutton, Johnson seemed unimpressed with G. Love & Special Sauce, at least initially, a ragtag bunch of blues and jazz cats in an era dominated by grunge and hip-hop attitudes and aesthetics. Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2024 Officials had initially anticipated the interstate to be reopened by Monday morning before rush hour. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 5 May 2024 The Republic initially established the fellowship for five years but sustains it with a grant to the ASU Foundation from the newspaper's Season for Sharing education program. Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 5 May 2024 Police were initially called to an Overland Park apartment on May 22, 2023 — three days after W.J.A.M.’s first birthday — for a non-breathing child. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 4 May 2024 He was initially sentenced to death, then granted a new trial where he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 4 May 2024 Demonstrators were initially given a 10:30 p.m. deadline to leave or face arrest, although arrests did not begin until much later. Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 4 May 2024 However, seeing these actors in new roles in Act Two is initially jarring and distracting — especially since Matthis goes from Sherry to the character of Dr. Toros using only a simple white coat to distinguish between the two. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 24 Apr. 2024 Yet some of these upstart parties initially emerge from the political center. Sarah Engler, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'initially.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of initially was circa 1628

Dictionary Entries Near initially

Cite this Entry

“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 9 May. 2024.

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