initially

adverb

ini·​tial·​ly i-ˈni-sh(ə-)lē 

: at the beginning : at first

The reason I initially came here was to find work.

It turned out that the situation was not as serious as we had initially believed.

Initially, the symptoms are mild.

Synonyms of initially

• originally

Examples of initially in a Sentence

we initially intended to rebuild our hurricane-damaged home from the ground up

Recent Examples on the Web

These six episodes are a pleasant surprise, offering more than what initially appeared on the surface, but the story wouldn’t be able to operate below the radar a second time. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Sitting in a boat, tugging their house behind them, the journey initially appears to be going smoothly. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Navy officials initially said leadership had not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship. — Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026

Because many Italian immigrants arrived without having been shaped by the Anglo-American racial order, many initially found solidarity with Black Americans. — Ed Simon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for initially

• judicially
• officially
• artificially
• beneficially
• prejudicially
• superficially
• unofficially