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.
Examples of initially in a Sentence
we initially intended to rebuild our hurricane-damaged home from the ground up
Recent Examples on the Web
The patient initially went to live with family in Florida, before having to evacuate again when Hurricane Milton struck two weeks ago.
—
Ariel Wittenberg, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
This retreat risks stifling long-term growth and innovation as leaders realize that the ROI from AI will unfold over a more extended period than initially anticipated.
—Forrester, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Putin didn't deny that North Korea was sending soldiers to Russia, initially resorting to sarcasm when NBC News asked about it.
—Keir Simmons, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024
Tucci plays Cardinal Bellini, who initially wants his friend Lawrence to become pope, while John Lithgow’s Cardinal Tremblay has his own designs.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for initially 
Ariel Wittenberg, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
This retreat risks stifling long-term growth and innovation as leaders realize that the ROI from AI will unfold over a more extended period than initially anticipated.
—Forrester, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Putin didn't deny that North Korea was sending soldiers to Russia, initially resorting to sarcasm when NBC News asked about it.
—Keir Simmons, NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024
Tucci plays Cardinal Bellini, who initially wants his friend Lawrence to become pope, while John Lithgow’s Cardinal Tremblay has his own designs.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for initially
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'initially.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near initially
Cite this Entry
“Initially.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initially. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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