initially

American

[ih-nish-uh-lee] / ɪˈnɪʃ ə li /

adverb

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Which explains why American teams were initially skeptical of Murakami, even though he hit 56 homers for the Yakult Swallows in 2022, breaking Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

He initially travelled to Dubai from Manchester in February 2020 and returned in May 2020 before heading back to the Arab state in November.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Memory prices in the first three months of 2026 grew nearly 100% from the prior quarter, roughly double the initially projected growth, according to Trendforce, a tech-market researcher.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

The latest read on U.S. economic activity is shaping up to be solid, but far from the gangbusters rebound that economists initially believed would materialize.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

She admitted she had initially resisted fencing because she really didn’t want to fight in my shadow, but Coach Mustilli helped develop her talents and made her a fierce saber fencer.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023