originally
adverb
orig·i·nal·ly
ə-ˈri-jə-nᵊl-ē 
-ˈrij-nə-lē,
-ˈri-jən-
1
archaic
: by origin or derivation : inherently
2
: in the beginning : in the first place : initially
3
: in a fresh or original manner
Examples of originally in a Sentence
That van originally belonged to us.
The building was originally a school.
They originally planned to fix their old car, but they decided to buy a new one instead.
Originally, the word had a very different meaning from its current meaning.
a New Yorker who is originally from Mexico
She has shown an ability to think originally about ways to improve the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Buy It Now This article was originally published by Glamour UK.
—
Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2025
The future of Starliner The Boeing Starliner spacecraft that originally brought Williams and Wilmore to the space station suffered several big setbacks during the first leg of their trip, which is why Williams and Wilmore waited nine months for their journey home aboard a SpaceX capsule Tuesday.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025
Source: The National Weather Service This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 4:07 AM.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2025
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for originally
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2025
The future of Starliner The Boeing Starliner spacecraft that originally brought Williams and Wilmore to the space station suffered several big setbacks during the first leg of their trip, which is why Williams and Wilmore waited nine months for their journey home aboard a SpaceX capsule Tuesday.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 18 Mar. 2025
Source: The National Weather Service This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 4:07 AM.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2025
This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for originally
Cite this Entry
“Originally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/originally. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
originally
adverb
orig·i·nal·ly
ə-ˈrij-ən-ᵊl-ē
-nəl-ē
1
: in the beginning : in the first place
2
: in an original manner
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share