firstly

[ furst-lee ]
See synonyms for firstly on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in the first place; first.

Origin of firstly

1
First recorded in 1525–35; first + -ly

Words Nearby firstly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use firstly in a sentence

  • For it would be necessary to know: firstly, If those who are said to be the first authors of these narrations truly are such.

  • These objects may be considered firstly as individual and perhaps selfish; and, secondly, as general and for the common good.

  • I come as a suppliant, to implore you—firstly for the man who is my father—and secondly for yourself, to warn you.

    The Lord of the Sea | M. P. Shiel
  • firstly, that gain is not to be considered unlawful because it comes by good fortune, and not by one's own labour.

    The Age of Erasmus | P. S. Allen
  • firstly, the womb communicates with the heart by the mediation of those arteries which come from the aorta.

British Dictionary definitions for firstly

firstly

/ (ˈfɜːstlɪ) /


adverb
  1. coming before other points, questions, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012