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

• firstly
• 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

Source: National Interagency Fire Center This story was originally published June 22, 2025 at 3:23 AM. —Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2025

This story was originally published June 21, 2025 at 11:20 AM. —Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 22 June 2025

Source: The National Weather Service This story was originally published June 21, 2025 at 6:53 AM. —Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 22 June 2025

Though Wenger was originally slated to stand trial alongside Amiri earlier this year, a judge declared a mistrial over concerns about the competency of his attorney. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 June 2025

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