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firstly
/ ˈfɜːstlɪ /
adverb
- coming before other points, questions, etc
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Example Sentences
In fact, he firstly wasn’t mad with porphyria, secondly he wasn’t a tyrant king, thirdly he was perfectly sane throughout the American Revolution, and lastly, he wasn’t responsible for Britain’s defeat.
I think firstly obviously, the pandemic, obviously it caused enormous disruption to the way the world works and the digital transformation market seriously intensified.
Still, there is a path forward, by firstly modernizing their IT infrastructure so they can meet data where it lives, at the edge.
Firstly, there's the offensive notion that New York needs an ad campaign to boost tourism.
Firstly, the volunteers must be willing to obey their ISIS leader even if his orders may result in their death.
Firstly, the API withstood the turmoil of the “Arab Spring,” and was ratified twice in its last two summits in Baghdad and Doha.
Firstly, pregnancy seems like a hassle and terrifying all at the same time.
Firstly, although William did indeed succeed in his legal action against Closer magazine, it was a hollow victory.
For it would be necessary to know: Firstly, If those who are said to be the first authors of these narrations truly are such.
These objects may be considered firstly as individual and perhaps selfish; and, secondly, as general and for the common good.
I come as a suppliant, to implore you—firstly for the man who is my father—and secondly for yourself, to warn you.
Firstly, that gain is not to be considered unlawful because it comes by good fortune, and not by one's own labour.
Firstly, the womb communicates with the heart by the mediation of those arteries which come from the aorta.
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Is Firstly A Word?
And is firstly in the dictionary?
Firstly is a word. There may be some confusion about this because some writing advice states you shouldn’t use firstly but instead the shorter first. However, both firstly and first are valid terms.
More About Firstly
What does firstly mean?
Firstly means in the first place or first, as in Firstly, I did study for the test, and secondly, the test was long and difficult.
You will most often see firstly at the start of a sentence that details a first point in an argument. Sentences that detail other points in the argument may begin with second, secondly, and similar terms that number (that is, enumerate) your points.
Example: Firstly, I’d like to point out that I was never on the site on that day.
Where does firstly come from?
The first records of the term firstly come from around 1525. It ultimately comes from the Old English fyrst. It combines the word first, meaning “before all others,” and the suffix –ly, which creates adverbs out of adjectives.
You might have heard that you should use first instead of firstly to introduce a sentence, but the reasons for this aren’t very strong. Firstly, you might have heard that it isn’t a word or isn’t proper grammar, but firstly has been an acceptable way to number a first point for several hundred years. Second, you might hear that first is better because it’s shorter. We can’t argue with that, but unless you’re writing a tweet, two letters might not make a difference. Thirdly, you could be told that using firstly sounds overly formal. If you use a lot of other words with a formal tone, that could be true. But one word does not create the tone for a whole document.
If you do use firstly, you might be advised to use secondly, thirdly, and so on for consistency. Consistency is a fine thing, but many skilled writers have mixed enumeration styles without comment, including English essayist and critic William Hazlitt and US president Jimmy Carter (and now Dictionary.com). Using firstly is a matter of writing style rather than proper grammar or usage. While you should probably follow whatever style your teacher wants you to, it isn’t wrong to use firstly.
Did you know … ?
What are some synonyms for firstly?
What are some words that share a root or word element with firstly?
What are some words that often get used in discussing firstly?
What are some words firstly may be commonly confused with?
How is firstly used in real life?
When used, firstly often appears in more formal writing or contexts that want to sound more formal or proper.
Firstly I wanna thank everyone for sending me loving kindness and extending your energy my direction .Thank u for your prayers, I feel them and deeply appreciate you 🙏🏾❤️ I love you.
— SZA (@sza) June 17, 2018
firstly, i'm in Copenhagen and it's lovely 💕
— 👼🏼 (@troyesivan) May 16, 2016
Firstly, what a night to be involved in! an incredible and much deserved win against the World Cup winners, makes me proud to be English! 👊🏼
— Jack Butland (@JackButland_One) March 27, 2016
Try using firstly!
True or False?
It’s OK to use firstly to start a sentence.
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