initially

adverb

ini·​tial·​ly i-ˈni-sh(ə-)lē How to pronounce initially (audio)
: at the beginning : at first
The reason I initially came here was to find work.
It turned out that the situation was not as serious as we had initially believed.
Initially, the symptoms are mild.

Examples of initially in a Sentence

we initially intended to rebuild our hurricane-damaged home from the ground up
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Iowa funds its account with $500 initially and then annually up to 18 years. Medora Lee, USA Today, 23 May 2025 Medicaid emerged as a major sticking point for Republicans negotiating the terms of the bill, with those who represent swing districts initially advocating for Medicaid to be left intact and fiscal hawks pushing for even more cuts. Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025 Einbinder does stand-up in real life — and was initially discovered through a late-night performance — even as her character writes late-night jokes for Deborah. Akiva Gottlieb, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025 After initially flipping his hips toward the sideline, Emmanwori opens up and runs with the receiver across the field (South Carolina’s edge rusher beat the tight end to provide a nice assist), sprinting from the far hash to the near numbers to make the diving grab. Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for initially

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of initially was circa 1628

Cite this Entry

“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.

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