as in originally
in the beginning
firstly, gather all the ingredients together
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Recent Examples of firstly
Its detection means that, firstly, JADES-GS-z13-1-LA produced enough high-energy radiation to excite its neutral hydrogen, and secondly that there was little neutral hydrogen between the galaxy and Earth to block the Lyman-α photons from reaching us in the present.
—
Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Now, the Democratic Party’s institutional failure to focus firstly on the economic security of working families has had epic consequences.
—John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
Its success leads her to rebel, firstly through passionate love affairs with women and then by reclaiming her authorship.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025
Meissner is unique among current film market directors for her perspective on the circuit having worked as a film sales agent for two decades, firstly for Celluloid Dreams and then Memento.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Now, the Democratic Party’s institutional failure to focus firstly on the economic security of working families has had epic consequences.
—John Samuelsen, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025
Its success leads her to rebel, firstly through passionate love affairs with women and then by reclaiming her authorship.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2025
Meissner is unique among current film market directors for her perspective on the circuit having worked as a film sales agent for two decades, firstly for Celluloid Dreams and then Memento.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firstly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firstly
Adverb
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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
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This story was originally published June 21, 2025 at 11:20 AM.—
Rose Evans,
Idaho Statesman,
22 June 2025
Adverb
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One of the biggest controversies in England’s development initially began when one of their former players and now a leading commentator, Alex Hartley, criticised the players’ fitness after their shock defeat to the West Indies in Dubai in October and their early exit from the T20 World Cup.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Recognizing that this majority won't initially be drawn to your opportunity helps set realistic expectations.—
Ryan Hohman,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Firstly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firstly. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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