Wiktionary

finally

English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English finally, fynaly, fynally, fynaliche, fynalliche, equivalent to final +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation edit

Adverb edit

finally (not comparable)

  1. At the end or conclusion; ultimately.
    Synonyms: eventually, in the end; see also Thesaurus:finally
    Antonym: initially
    The contest was long, but the Romans finally conquered.
  2. (sequence) To finish (with); lastly (in the present).
    Synonyms: at last, at length, endly; see also Thesaurus:lastly
    Finally, I washed my dog.
    • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
      I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.
    • 1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 122:
      At any other time Jessamy would have laughed at the expressions that chased each other over his freckled face: crossness left over from his struggle with the baby; incredulity; distress; and finally delight.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:finally.
  3. (manner) Definitively, comprehensively.
    Synonyms: completely, thoroughly, totally; see also Thesaurus:completely
    The question of his long-term success has now been finally settled.

Derived terms edit

Translations edit

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=finally&oldid=78413977"