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

Recent Examples on the Web Martin plays Robert in the series, a man who works at the exclusive beach club and initially doesn’t trust Maxine. Marianne Garvey, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 When it was initially unveiled, all staff members were required to take an AI fundamentals course to gain the same base level of knowledge and awareness about AI. Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 He was initially enthused by the Rastafarian concept of locs and their spiritual significance, finding meaning behind the now-popular hairdo. Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2024 Launched in early 1974 by a group of Who fanatics/British-rock obsessives — and edited for its entire existence by Ira A. Robbins — the magazine was initially written on typewriters and mimeographed; the first copy cost a quarter. Jem Aswad, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024 The Pentagon began rushing military assets to the region almost immediately after Oct. 7, initially to deter Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy, from opening a new front against Israel, but also to avert a wider war. Missy Ryan, Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2024 New Radicals — a duo that also features Danielle Brisebois — initially split in 1999, shortly after the release of its first album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 The officers were able to initially rescue one person from the home who told them that one person was being held hostage, and another possibly had a gunshot wound. Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 6 Mar. 2024 With the support of the majors, NMPA has used its considerable clout to enforce more-favorable licenses with multiple platforms over the years, from Pandora to Twitch to Triller, and usually the platforms initially defy it but ultimately come to terms (usually far less-favorable to them). Jem Aswad, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'initially.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of initially was circa 1628

Dictionary Entries Near initially

Cite this Entry

“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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