Synonyms of at first

at first

phrase

as in originally

in the beginning

He was a bit skittish at first, but he's since gotten more comfortable around people.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• originally
• primarily
• initially
• firstly
• to start with
• incipiently
• primitively

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• finally
• ultimately
• lastly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of at first

The idea, at first, was to send people off with a special-edition Jibbitz, the snap-on charm Crocs wearers use to personalize their shoes. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026

While Eisenman’s works are funny at first glance, a nuanced narrative, interweaving the personal and political, can usually be teased out of them. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

There are so many details placed throughout the exhibits that people might miss at first glance. — Cat Cardenas, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2026

Thus, the relationship between gossip columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper (itself the subject of George Eells’s 1971 dual biography, Hedda and Louella) was at first a symbiotic friendship and then a brutal rivalry. — Lindsey Weber, Vanity Fair, 28 Sep. 2026