initially

American  

[ih-nish-uh-lee] / ɪˈnɪʃ ə li /

adverb

1. happening first; at the start; in the beginning.

   Although natural gas cars cost a bit more initially, savings from lower fuel costs can help make up the difference.

   The foundation initially funded only educational programs, but later also awarded grants for emotional and social support.

---

Etymology

Origin of initially

initial ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

The word initially can be used to describe an action that happened first. You might initially want fish for dinner, but then end up getting the pasta special that looks so good. The adverb initially can describe something that happened at the beginning. Initially you might have thought the apartment was too small, but then you decided to take it because of the rooftop garden. You initially wanted to go to college far from home, but decided to stay closer to be near your family. The bride-to-be initially wanted an outdoor wedding, but decided against it because of the area's unpredictable weather.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

initially

Sven Völcker, a longtime top litigator at WilmerHale and later Latham who retired last year at 59, initially thought maybe he’d start an arbitration business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

It had been found in the forest by a local resident, who initially thought it was a domestic kitten.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

One reason Weed sees upside for Zscaler is that the company is emerging from a transition into a new sales model — a process that initially cost it some customers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

According to court filings, Gilkar and Ahmed initially asked West to terminate the pregnancy after learning of the baby’s heart condition.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

They were interrupted by an explosion that was so unexpected, Mother initially thought his ears were playing tricks on him.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

• originally