as in originally
in the beginning
firstly, gather all the ingredients together
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Recent Examples of firstly
The resurgence of trends that were popular back in the 1990s came firstly as quite the surprise.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
Santo Domingo was wearing two hats at the event, firstly representing the Bird on a Rock collection, for which Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany’s chief artistic officer of jewelry and high jewelry, reimagined Jean Schlumberger’s iconic design.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
Mandelson is no stranger to controversy, and twice resigned from Tony Blair's governments: firstly in 1998 over an undeclared interest-free loan; and 2001 over accusations of using his position to influence a passport decision.
—Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
Santo Domingo was wearing two hats at the event, firstly representing the Bird on a Rock collection, for which Nathalie Verdeille, Tiffany’s chief artistic officer of jewelry and high jewelry, reimagined Jean Schlumberger’s iconic design.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
That's firstly true about the size of the drone itself.
—New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2025
Mandelson is no stranger to controversy, and twice resigned from Tony Blair's governments: firstly in 1998 over an undeclared interest-free loan; and 2001 over accusations of using his position to influence a passport decision.
—Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firstly
Adverb
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Part of The Coach Originals, it’s inspired by one of the brand’s legacy bags that originally debuted in 1997.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
8 Mar. 2026
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The board’s resolution to fill the seat originally stated that two to four candidates would be interviewed.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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But oil prices pared their gains through the day, initially on talks that seven of the world's largest economies could coordinate moves to push back on the spikes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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Lloyd will be a notable upgrade over Christian Rozeboom — a pending unrestricted free agent — who was initially signed last offseason as a backup and special teams ace.—
Mike Kaye
Updated March 9,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Firstly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firstly. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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