initially
adv.at the very beginning of a process or situation. You use this to describe how something started before it changed later on.
adv.at the beginning or in the first stage of a process. Often used to contrast an original state with a subsequent change or development.
“Initially, the plan seemed very simple.”
“Initially, the company struggled to find customers, but sales grew rapidly after they changed their marketing strategy.”
“While the symptoms were initially dismissed as a common cold, they eventually developed into a more serious respiratory infection requiring hospitalisation.”
Typically placed at the beginning of a sentence to set the scene, or before the main verb to modify the action.
Initially is an adverb and cannot function as a verb; it must modify a verb, adjective, or clause.
Usage initially thought · initially accused · initially dismissed
“Naturally, the full situation is a little more layered than it initially seems.”
“The agency had initially refused to even review the application but reversed course after a public outcry.”
Common in science writing
From initial + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.