as in initially
in the beginning
we originally planned to go out tonight, but we changed our minds
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Recent Examples of originally
SpaceX launched 45 satellites to orbit from California early Sunday morning (May 3), including a South Korean spacecraft that was originally supposed to fly in 2022.
—
Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 May 2026
Boeing has been retrofitting 747s originally built for a now-defunct Russian airliner.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 2 May 2026
The phrase originally came from the pen of William Shakespeare in his play Hamlet, and Parton's mother, Avie Lee, clearly took it to heart, passing along its message of individuality to her daughter.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
Tomlinson, who is originally from Michigan, moved to California after obtaining a political science degree and previously worked as a labor organizer for government employee unions.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for originally
Mike Wall, Space.com, 3 May 2026
Boeing has been retrofitting 747s originally built for a now-defunct Russian airliner.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Fortune, 2 May 2026
The phrase originally came from the pen of William Shakespeare in his play Hamlet, and Parton's mother, Avie Lee, clearly took it to heart, passing along its message of individuality to her daughter.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
Tomlinson, who is originally from Michigan, moved to California after obtaining a political science degree and previously worked as a labor organizer for government employee unions.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for originally
Recent Examples of Synonyms for originally
Adverb
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Buntrock stepped back as chairman and CEO a second time in 1997, but initially remained on Waste Management’s board.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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After initially dousing the fire between the theater’s fourth and fifth floors, firefighters found additional pockets of flames between the fifth and eights floors, with the fire finally brought fully under control a little after noon, officials said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Adverb
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Iran primarily responded by attacking shipping to shut down the Strait of Hormuz trade corridor along with striking US military bases and energy infrastructure across the Gulf region.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2026
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The remaining droneship, A Shortfall of Gravitas, can support four-day launch cycle time while SpaceX will continue to use primarily LZ-40 for return-to-launch-site missions, Dontchev said.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Originally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/originally. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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