At First

Definition: At First

At First

Adverb

1. At the beginning; "at first he didn't notice anything strange".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Synonyms: At First

Manifestation

Adverb: manifestly, openly; Adjective: before one's eyes, under one's nose, to one's face, face to face, above board, cartes sur table, on the stage, in open court, in the open streets; in market overt; in the face of day, face of heaven; in broad daylight, in open daylight; without reserve; at first blush, prima facie, on the face of; in set terms.

Crosswords: At First

And what sunrises, seen as the human eye could never see them: silver at first, then, as the years progressed, in tones of purple, red, and my long lost blue (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles; writing credit: Anne Rice)

At first it's constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you. (Wayne's World; writing credit: Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner)

It may sound a little boring at first. (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge)

From my experiments with sexiness, it seems like a lot of people are afraid at first, and fear usually equals violence (Jackass; writing credit: Donald Spoto; Eric Overmyer)

I know it's hard to accept at first. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; writing credit: Doreen Spicer)

1 �" And if at first you don’t succeed (Try Again; performing artist: Aaliyah)

It was love at first sight (I Wish; performing artist: Carl Thomas)

She didn't recognize the face at first (Same Old Lang Syne; performing artist: Dan Fogelberg)

Act one was when we met, I loved you at first glance (Are You Lonesome Tonight?; performing artist: Elvis Presley)

Lovers at first sight, in love forever ("Strangers in the Night"; performing artist: Frank Sinatra)

If at first you don't succeed, try management. (references; author: unknown)

If at First (1969)

Love at First Bite (1950)

At First Sight (1923)

Love at First Sight (1922)

At First Sight (1917)

Love At First Sight (performing artist: Kylie Minogue)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Music

• Viva! Suburbs! Live at First Avenue [LIVE] (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

He miss'd at first, but try'd again,... / Tim Bobbin [i.e. John Collier] inv. Pinx. et del. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

At First He Was Sure He'd Never Become A Heroin Addict. : Now He's Not Sure He'll Ever Be Anything Else. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

Cover for sheet music composed by Chief Yeoman Daisy May Pratt Erd, USNRF, during World War I. It honors Rear Admiral Spencer S. Wood, Commandant of the First Naval District, and features his portrait. Chief Erd, who served at First Naval District Headquarters, in Boston, Massachusetts, contributed the royalties from this composition to the wartime Navy Relief effort. Credit: NAVY.

She found it rather trying to her nerves at first, to meet with rabbits as big as horses / Birch. Credit: Library of Congress.

Robinson at first for Dodgers. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

And thus, I think, it is very easy to conceive, without any difficulty, how labour could at first begin a title of property in the common things of nature, and how the spending it upon our uses bounded it. (Second Treatise of Government)

This would be to overthrow in fact what was established in theory; and would seem, at first view, an absurdity too gross to be insisted on. (reference)

Though not in substance, yet in form, the struggle of the proletariat with the bourgeoisie is at first a national struggle. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Miss Fairfax knows it is not from the Campbells, or they would have been guessed at first.

She handed the tablets to Clara, who gazed at them with eyes so dim with tears that she did not at first notice that she was holding them upside down

At first Ford had formed a theory to account for this strange behavior

His eyes, however, were soon greeted by a little, glimmering light, which, at first a long way off, was approaching up the street

Sleep comes at first much more readily than it comes again

He understood little or nothing of it at first but he became slowly aware that his father had enemies and that some fight was going to take place

At first the families were timid in the building and tumbling worlds, but gradually the technique of building worlds became their technique

I knew and could distinguish those two heroes at first sight, not only from the crowd but from each other

I walked about the outside, at first unobserved from within, the window was so deep and high

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

They were disappointed at first. (references)

Their size and motion may be frightening at first. (references)

Keratoconus usually affects both eyes. At first, people can correct their vision with eyeglasses. (references)

Business

Investment requirements for the period 2000-2003 at first appear critical in the areas of transmission and distribution, more so than in generation of electric energy. (references)

It would be advisable to initially visit the country and to assess the situation and facilities at first hand, and at the same time, make contact with those in the education industry. (references)

However, state of the art technologies have the advantage of offering innovative services, therefore, the end-users have little or no chance of making price or quality comparisons at first. (references)

Economic History

India

At first sight the bulk of the purchasing power in India would appear to be concentrated in its urban markets. (references)

India

Although such lists may seem impressive at first sight, some of them may be outdated, and some of the relationships may no longer exist. (references)

Afghanistan

Poorly armed at first, in 1984 the mujahidin began receiving substantial assistance in the form of weapons and training from the U.S. and other outside powers. (references)

Human Rights

Macau

There are four courts: the Primary Court (with general jurisdiction at first instance); the Administrative Court (with jurisdiction of first instance in administrative disputes); the Court of Second Instance; and the Court of Final Appeal. (references)

Sri Lanka

Government officials acknowledged that 22 men, women, and children were killed by the air force bomb; however, they alleged that the air force targeted an LTTE training camp, and at first they did not admit the possibility that civilians were killed in error. (references)

Political Economy

Canada

Since 1984, the federal government has devolved powers and social programs to the provinces, at first for political reasons and later in response to a fiscal crisis. (references)

Travel

El Salvador

Salvadoran business relationships and meetings are, at first, formal. (references)

Korea

At first glance, Korea appears to be "just like any other nation." Its capital city, Seoul, is a modern, thriving metropolis with all of the latest technology the world has to offer. (references)

Denmark

Danish business people can appear somewhat formal at first, but are likely to quickly show a more informal side of themselves, just as the dress code sometimes may seem a little relaxed to an American business person. (references)

Worker Rights

Burma

The Government at first rejected the ILO's actions and statements; however, in September and October, it allowed an ILO assessment team to visit the country to review the status of the Government's efforts to eliminate forced labor. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "at first": at first appearance ♦ at first blush ♦ at first glance ♦ at first hand ♦ at first sight ♦ at first view ♦ love at first sight. Additional references.

Afrikaans

aanvanklik (at, at the outset, in the beginning). (various references)

Albanian

së pari (first, first of all, firstly, imprimis), në fillim (at the beginning, early, first, in the first instance, initially, originally). (various references)

Arabic 

‏في البداية (first, initial, initially), ‏اولا (first of all), ‏بادئ الأمر (above all). (various references)

Bulgarian 

в началото (initially), отначало (afresh, all over again, at the beginning, first, initially), най-напред (first, first of all, firstly, start with). (various references)

Chinese 

起初 (at the outset, originally), 肇 (devise, originate), 原來 (former, formerly, original, originally), 本來 (it goes without saying, of course, original, originally), 初 (basic, beginning, first, junior). (various references)

Czech

zpoèátku (at the beginning, initially), nejprve (first, in the first instance). (various references)

Danish

slutpoleringen blev udfoert manuelt med aluminiumoxid-opslemning,foerst paa uldent klaede,derefter paa et meget bloedt klaede,idet der ind imellem aetses adskillige gange med alkoholisk pikrinsyre eller salpetersyreoploesning (the final polishing was done by hand at first on a wool cloth, then on a very soft haired cloth using alumina. Several intermediate etching treatments with alcoholic picric acid or nitric acid were used). (various references)

Dutch

aanvankelýk (at the outset, in the beginning, initial), in het begin (at the outset, in the beginning). (various references)

Esperanto

komence (at the outset, in the beginning), en la komenco (at the outset, in the beginning). (various references)

Faeroese

í fyrstuni (at the outset, in the beginning). (various references)

Finnish

aluksi (alussa, to begin with), ensin (first, in the first place). (various references)

French

d'abord (at once, at the outset). (various references)

Frisian

yn 'e earste opslach (at the outset, in the beginning), te'n earsten (at the outset, in the beginning). (various references)

German

zuerst (first, first of all, firstly, for the first time, primarily, primary), anfänglich (at the outset, in the beginning, initial, initially). (various references)

Greek 

αρχικά (initial, initially, initials, originally, primarily). (various references)

Hebrew 

מ�"תחל�", לכתחיל�" (a priori), תחל�" (at the beginning, beginning, first, inception, start), בתחל�" (initially), בראשו� �". (various references)

Hungarian

kezdetben (at an early stage, first, incipiently, initially), eleinte (first, first of all, firstly, initially), először (first, for the first time). (various references)

Italian

dapprima (at, at the outset, first, first of all, firstly, in the beginning). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

手初めに (at the outset, beginning), �"初 , 始めは (in the beginning), 初めは (originally). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

はじめは (in the beginning, originally), とうしょ (above-mentioned, contribution, islands, letter from a reader, letter to the editor, superscription, this office, this place), てはじめに (at the outset, beginning). (various references)

Pig Latin

atay irstfay.(various references)

Polish

początkowo (at the outset, in the beginning). (various references)

Portuguese

a princípio (formerly, originally), em princípio. (various references)

Romanian

la prima vedere (at first appearance, at first view). (various references)

Russian 

сначала (first, first of all, first time), вначале (at the beginning, at the outset). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

prvo (first, first: at first, firstly, foremost, imprimis, primely), na početku (first: at first). (various references)

Spanish

en un principio (at the outset, in the beginning). (various references)

Swedish

först (first, firstly, initially, only). (various references)

Turkish

ilkönce (first, first of all, in the first instance), ilk zamanlar, ilk olarak (early, first, first of all, first time, firstly, for starters, in first place, in the first instance, initially, primarily), başlangıçta (initially). (various references)

Turkmen 

цсьrti (before). (various references)

Ukrainian

спочатку (erst, first, initially, originally, primarily). (various references)

primo, primoque, primum. (various references)

paourva. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: afrits, artist, fritts, strait, strati, traits.

-2 letters: afrit, airts, astir, fairs, fiars, fiats, first, frats, frits, fritt, rafts, rifts, sitar, stair, start, stria, tarsi, tarts, trait.

-3 letters: airs, airt, aits, arfs, arts, fair, fast, fats, fiar, fiat, firs, fist, fits, frat, frit, raft, rats, rias, rifs, rift, sari, sati, sift, star, stat, stir.

+1 letter: stratify.

+2 letters: artifacts, craftiest, draftiest, feteritas, filtrates, frittatas, starfruit, transfixt, trifectas.

+3 letters: aftertimes, flatteries, graffitist, rijsttafel, starfruits, stratified, stratifies, stratiform.

+4 letters: afterbirths, featheriest, filtrations, flirtations, flirtatious, forestation, foretasting, frustrating, frustration, graffitists, infiltrates, intergrafts, refutations, rijsttafels, steamfitter, stratifying, transfinite, trifurcates, witchcrafts.

+5 letters: certificates, facilitators, felicitators, fenestration, forestations, fractionates, fraternities, frontalities, frustrations, infiltrators, satisfactory, steamfitters, titaniferous, transfecting, transfection, ultraleftism, ultraleftist, unstratified.