preliminarily

adverb

Definition of preliminarilynext
as in earlier
so as to precede something in order of time the sick children were examined preliminarily by the nurse to determine if they had a rash

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of preliminarily The 78-year-old was preliminarily granted parole on Tuesday, her 18th suitability hearing, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 The death was initially classified as suspicious and was preliminarily investigated by the homicide unit. — Harry Harris, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2026 Lawyers and historic preservation advocates are particularly concerned about how quickly the arch has been reviewed and preliminarily approved, even before Burgum's announcement. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026 The court preliminarily approved the class action settlement in April. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Spinnova is preliminarily targeting at least $15 million, or roughly 13 million euros, in gross proceeds. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026 County officials also preliminarily estimate around $150,000 has gone toward county staff time on the effort. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Aug. 2026 However, a July 30 report from The New York Times says investigators preliminarily believe Iranian hackers were probably responsible. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Heading into the weekend, the trend is preliminarily forecasted to continue. — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preliminarily
  1. already
  2. ahead
  3. previously
  4. early
  5. before
Adverb
  • Infrastructure on this scale needs a dedicated body that can keep pace with the technology and draw on the expertise already spread across existing agencies.
    — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Jeffries will campaign with Johnny Garcia, who’s running a competitive race in one of those seats where Republicans initially expected an easier pickup (after already forcing one longtime Democratic incumbent to retire).
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of already
Adverb
  • Burrow's 13-yard scoring pass to Tee Higgins put Cincinnati ahead to stay.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • An October 15 Datafolha survey put Lula ahead among women by 49% to 40%, while Flávio led among men by 52% to 40%.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of ahead
Adverb
  • Vucic’s tenure saw Serbia go in a more pro-Western direction than previously, playing a delicate balancing act between a plethora of actors often directly at odds with each other.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Lula previously spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were eventually annulled.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of previously
Adverb
  • Six of the injured are under 18 years old and the youngest is 11 years old, Chief Lawrence Revell of the Tallahassee Police Department said at a press conference early Sunday morning.
    — Samantha Cookinham, NBC news, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Brandon Miller, he of the $209 million contract extension earlier this week, started very cold and never stopped.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of early
Adverb
  • Trump has also called off plans to renew attacks on Iran before.
    — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Questions about the video will likely shadow Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire who previously ran for president but has never before held public office, in the final two weeks of the contest.
    — Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of before

Browse Nearby Words

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preliminarily
preliminary
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Cite this Entry

“Preliminarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preliminarily. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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