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Formerly vs Initially - What's the difference?

formerly | initially |

As adverbs the difference between formerly and initially

is that formerly is at some time in the past while initially is at the beginning.

formerly

English

Adverb

(-)
  • at some time in the past
  • previously; once

    • initially

    English

    Adverb

    (-)
  • At the beginning.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-07, author= Ed Pilkington
    • , volume=188, issue=26, page=6, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= ‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told , passage=In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.}}

    Synonyms

    * at first

    Antonyms

    * finally