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Glite Dictionary
initially

initially

395 3.2
At first, before things change
  • adverb
  • /ɪˈnɪʃəli/
translation icon : al principio
  • Initially, the project was met with skepticism, but it gained support over time.
  • initially seemed
  • at least initially
  • only initially

So if this looks a little heavy initially, it's OK.

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Examples

  • In many ways, media literacy education holds the same promises initially attributed to science education.

    Academic text (2011)

  • That is not what you initially had in mind.

  • So if this looks a little heavy initially, it's OK.

    Tati

  • At least initially, I did not feel that way.

  • We will initially think about the first question.

  • For many of the town's older residents, the post office initially served this purpose.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Initially, we can have a brief conversation... and establish what we need.

    Celebrity (1998)

  • It'll be difficult initially, but we think we can live with it.

    Enemy of the State (1998)

  • Also, respondents indicated that longer programs can initially seem overwhelming to students.

    Academic text (2011)

  • In fact, that was one of the things that initially fueled the town gossip.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

first
vsinitially
∞ 1.0

Before anything else or at the beginning

is more specifically a neutral marker for the earliest time
at first
vsinitially
984 1.0

In the beginning before things change

is the simple time marker for the earliest stage
originally
vsinitially
543 2.0

At first, before later changes

focuses only on marking the earliest time without background detail
to begin with
vsinitially
274 2.3

At the start before anything else happens

is the neutral temporal word used for that starting moment
in the beginning
vsinitially
246 1.4

At the start of something

is a short, neutral way to mark the earliest moment
first off
vsinitially
  • Informal
77 2.8

To say something before you do anything else

serves as a neutral temporal marker rather than a conversational opener
firstly
vsinitially
50 1.0

To give the first reason or point in a list

is used simply to mark the chronological starting moment
ab initio
vsinitially
  • Formal
9.9

From the beginning

is the everyday time word without formal or legal tone
in initio
vsinitially
  • Literature
9.9

From the very beginning

is the plain temporal expression without formal literary tone

Antonyms

finally
∞ 1.0

Shows that something happens at the end of a long wait

How Early

from the get-go
  • Informal
52 6.6
initially
395 3.2
at first
984 1.0
later
1.0
eventually
∞ 3.0

Surface Forms

initially positive

Morphology

initially = initial (transparent) = initial + ly

A standard adverb formed from the adjective 'initial' with the productive suffix '-ly', so the meaning 'at first' is directly derived.

Etymology

Initially comes from the old Latin word initium meaning 'beginning' and is the same root as initial and initiate. So initially means 'at the beginning' or 'at first', and we use it to talk about what happened first.