originally

adverb

orig·​i·​nal·​ly ə-ˈri-jə-nᵊl-ē 

-ˈrij-nə-lē, 

-ˈri-jən-

1

archaic : by origin or derivation : inherently

2

: in the beginning : in the first place : initially

3

: in a fresh or original manner

Synonyms of originally

• initially
• primarily

Examples of originally in a Sentence

That van originally belonged to us.

The building was originally a school.

They originally planned to fix their old car, but they decided to buy a new one instead.

Originally, the word had a very different meaning from its current meaning.

a New Yorker who is originally from Mexico

She has shown an ability to think originally about ways to improve the company.

Recent Examples on the Web

These anti-drone systems were originally developed jointly by the United Kingdom and Ukraine to counter Iranian Shahed drones used in combat. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026

The council originally considered $50,000 from the general fund for this year’s grants before increasing to $60,000. —Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

In West Bloomfield, Michigan, 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, originally from Lebanon, rammed a truck full of explosives through the doors of Temple Israel, driving down the hall, exchanging fire with security guards. —ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026

The start of service was originally expected to begin about a year and a half ago. —Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

originally

adverb

orig·​i·​nal·​ly ə-ˈrij-ən-ᵊl-ē 

-nəl-ē

1

: in the beginning : in the first place

2

: in an original manner