Definitions

in the first place

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chiefly adv.
first adv.
first off adv.
originally adv.
primarily adv.
principally adv.

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.

See Examples For:

in the first place

It helps muscle stem cells retain the genetic instructions that make them muscle stem cells in the first place.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2026

But Moscow and Kyiv's positions on ending the conflict in the first place remain far apart.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026

“The reason for tasting tea this way in the first place is like purchasing a car,” Hammond told me.

From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2026

What about the people who aren’t worried about whether their retirement savings will last 20 or 30 years because they never had the opportunity to save in the first place?

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

My DNA gave the subject his mimetic quality in the first place.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

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