initially

adverb

ini·​tial·​ly i-ˈni-sh(ə-)lē How to pronounce initially (audio)
Synonyms of initially
: 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.

Synonyms of initially

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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.
This year, that did not happen initially, according to officials in three states who spoke to NPR anonymously because they weren't authorized to speak to the press. — Miles Parks, NPR, 22 Oct. 2026 How Amazon’s plan unraveled In February, GW president Ellen Granberg announced the university had sold the campus, but did not initially identify the buyer or disclose the purchase price. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 This is initially surprising, because the YouTube app appears to be at least a little updated for the Duo. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026 What initially looked like a gimmick quickly proved to be a great time. — ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026 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

Rhymes for initially

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Browse Nearby Words

initial line
initially
initial public offering
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Cite this Entry

“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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