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

“I was so stunned that at first it did not seem real and the only way to deal with it was to practice.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

All of this is hard to take at first.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

“So the resilience we’ve seen compared to past shocks makes more sense than it might appear at first glance,” he said.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

That should make the allure of “The Sheep Detectives” obvious at first glance.

From Salon • May 17, 2026

They traveled endlessly, it seemed, stopping only when it became too dark to see, and starting again at first light.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• basically
• formerly