Definitions

in the first place

ADVERB

chiefly

Synonyms

STRONGEST

especially essentially largely mostly predominantly principally

STRONG

mainly primarily

WEAK

above all in general in the main on the whole overall usually

Antonyms

WEAK

unimportantly

ADVERB

first

Synonyms

STRONGEST

initially originally

WEAK

ahead at the outset before all else beforehand to begin with to start with

Antonyms

WEAK

finally last

ADVERB

first off

Synonyms

WEAK

first of all first thing firstly foremost immediately primo up front

ADVERB

originally

Synonyms

STRONGEST

basically formerly

STRONG

primitively

WEAK

at first at the outset at the start by birth by origin first in the beginning incipiently primarily to begin with

Antonyms

WEAK

secondarily

ADVERB

primarily

Synonyms

WEAK

at first at the start first and foremost from the start initially originally primitively

Antonyms

WEAK

finally secondarily

ADVERB

principally

Synonyms

STRONGEST

basically chiefly first and foremost generally importantly largely mostly notably particularly predominantly

STRONG

primarily

WEAK

above all before anything else cardinally dominantly eminently especially essentially first of all for the most part fundamentally in the main materially peculiarly preeminently prevailingly prevalently substantially superlatively supremely to a great degree universally vitally

Antonyms

WEAK

secondarily trivially

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Any dinosaur turning from football because of a simple halftime show … if that’s all it takes, you were never a fan in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times

The Legislature was clearly interested in raising that height limit when it ordered the report in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times

Few women choose to study computer science in the first place, then "once you get more senior, women fall away", Hall said.

From Barron's

Choi noted that the amount of money someone saves up to invest in the first place is generally more important to their financial well-being than how they allocate those investments.

From The Wall Street Journal

The question really ought to be, does this make sense to have this push if the problem is vanishingly rare in the first place.

From Salon

in the first place

Example Sentences

Related Words