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.

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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

"We initially assumed that water released from the subduction zone directly controlled gold enrichment," says Timm.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

“The discomfort was caused initially by the pitching,” Ohtani said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The government initially appeared confident it could contain the protests.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Roe and Pugsley have been in post around a year, initially trying to unblock a massive backlog of building applications and now trying to speed up the remediation process too.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

This notion came to Prendergast initially as a glimmer, like the first sunlight to strike the Masonic tower each morning, but now he thought of it a thousand times a day.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• originally