at first

Idioms  

1. Initially, at the start, as in At first the berries were green, but when they ripened they turned bright red. [Second half of 1500s]

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Example Sentences

"In fact, at first I was skeptical about the signal as it was too strong to be real. But after months of verification, we've confirmed this gas is at least five times hotter than predicted, and even hotter and more energetic than what we find in many present-day clusters."

From Science Daily

At first glance, this is bad news for Merck, analysts said.

From MarketWatch

At first, there was no time to grieve all that was lost.

From Los Angeles Times

“At first I thought it was just me, but then I went online and saw that it’s happening to so many people,” Roller said.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms. Wasserman Schultz at first seemed flustered.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• basically
• formerly