Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for in the first place. Search instead for in+the+first+place.
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.

“So that’s something worth celebrating, that we have this incredible place that maybe shouldn’t have existed in the first place, maybe shouldn’t have stuck around, and yet it does.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

More crucially, Zackfia believes company needs to get back to addressing the needs of the female consumers who made it popular in the first place.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026

"But we're constantly clearing up rubbish that shouldn't be here in the first place."

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

It also has a Chinese name, Huanglongbing, or HLB, because it came from China, where oranges also came from in the first place.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

By the time the unit is halfway through, I’ll bet no one will even remember why we started it in the first place.

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman