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

After the university initially said there were two victims, Shelton said authorities learned that there was a third victim at a hospital. —Arkansas Online, 13 Mar. 2026

Sahil was initially charged with DUI causing injury and vehicular manslaughter, along with enhancements for causing great bodily injury, having an excessive blood-alcohol content and circumstances in aggravation. —Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026

The agreement, examined by The Associated Press, was initially five years and then was extended another five in 2021, ending July 1. —ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026

The feds initially suggested operations at O’Hare could be capped at about 2,800 per day — the amount of flights the airport currently handles, according to the FAA. —Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for initially

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