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.

Synonyms of initially

• originally

Examples of initially in a Sentence

we initially intended to rebuild our hurricane-damaged home from the ground up

Recent Examples on the Web

Brex initially made loans to startups via its cards, a model that’s tough in today’s environment. —Ron Shevlin, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

All the same, his decision not to assign names to his principal characters, while initially lending the novel an air of universality, lapses into what feels like a formula for its own sake. —Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

Roberts in October initially pleaded not guilty to one count of making a false statement for employment and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the country illegally. —Hannah Fingerhut, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026

Tara Huerta and Kenneth Hedgecock were initially arrested in connection to EJ’s death. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for initially

• judicially
• officially
• artificially
• beneficially
• prejudicially
• superficially
• unofficially