Meanings
- not comparableAt the end or conclusion; ultimately.
The contest was long, but the Romans finally conquered.
Synonyms: eventually, in the end · Antonyms: initially
- not comparableAt bottom; ultimately; when all is considered.
Cyberneticism is, finally, a refined form of scientism, and therefore it is also more dangerous. This form of scientism is not based on linear causality, as mechanistic thought is; rather, it is based on circular causality.
2024, Egbert Schuurman, Ruben Alvarado, Technology and Christianity: Essays on the Interface, page 1131 more example
In a world in which "like singing,/ the next day's shriek for ease rises," in a world whose "survivors" are "capable of any cry, never done/ clasping in the city's shaken places," it is perhaps not surprising to find a dehumanizing but finally protective system of alienation imposing itself.
1975 December 20, Rudy Kikel, “The Closed Closet Policy and the Poetry of Paul Monette”, in Gay Community News, volume 3, number 25, page 9 - not comparablesequenceTo finish (with); lastly (in the present).
Finally, I washed my dog.
3 more examples
Finally, I'd like to thanks all the people who helped to make it this far.
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.
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., →OCLCAt 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.
1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 122Synonyms: at last, at length, endly, at last, at length, endly, last, lastly
- not comparablemannerDefinitively, comprehensively.
The venue won't be finally decided until the next meeting.
1 more example
The question of his long-term success has now been finally settled.
Synonyms: completely, thoroughly, totally, absolutely, all-out, tout à fait, all the way, stone-cold
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbTo finish (with); lastly (in the present).
adverbDefinitively, comprehensively.
More synonyms by meaning
adverbafter an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
adverbas the end result of a succession or process
adverbthe item at the end
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishfinally
- Englishfinally
From Middle English finally, fynaly, fynally, fynaliche, fynalliche, equivalent to final + -ly.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic أَخِيراً, أَخِيراً
- أَخِيراً (ʔaḵīran)at the end
- أَخِيراً (ʔaḵīran)at last
Bulgarian оконча́телно, напъ́лно
- оконча́телно (okončátelno)at the end
- напъ́лно (napắlno)definitively
- безвъзвра́тно (bezvăzvrátno)definitively
- оконча́телно (okončátelno)definitively
- накра́я (nakrája)at last
Catalan finalment, finalment
- finalmentat the end
- finalmentdefinitively
- per fiat last
- a la fiat last
Chinese Mandarin 終於 /终于, 總算 /总算
- 終於 /终于 (zhōngyú)at last
- 總算 /总算 (zǒngsuàn)at last
Czech konečně, konečně
- konečněat the end
- konečněat last
- nakonecat last
Danish til sidst, til slut
- til sidstat the end
- til slutat the end
- endeligat the end
- omsiderdefinitively
- endeligdefinitively
- til sidstat last
- til slutat last
- endeligat last
Dutch uiteindelijk, uiteindelijk
- uiteindelijkat the end
- uiteindelijkdefinitively
- ten slottedefinitively
- uiteindelijkat last
- ten slotteat last
Esperanto fine, finfine
- fineat the end
- finfineat the end
- fineat last
- finfineat last
Estonian lõpuks, lõpuuks
- lõpuksat the end
- lõpuuksat last
Finnish vihdoinkin, lopulta
- vihdoinkinat the end
- lopultaat the end
- lopultaat last
French enfin, définitivement
- enfinat the end
- définitivementdefinitively
- enfinat last
German schließlich, definitiv
- schließlichat the end
- definitivdefinitively
- endlichat last
Greek τελικά, επιτέλους
- τελικά (teliká)at the end
- επιτέλους (epitélous)at last
Hebrew סוֹף סוֹף
- סוֹף סוֹף (sof sof)at last
Hindi अंततः, अंततः
- अंततः (antataḥ)at the end
- अंततः (antataḥ)at last
Hungarian végül, véglegesen
- végülat the end
- véglegesendefinitively
- véglegdefinitively
- egyszer s mindenkorradefinitively
- végülat last
Icelandic að lokum, loks
- að lokumat the end
- loksat the end
- loksinsat the end
- fyrir fullt og alltdefinitively
- að lokumat last
- að síðustuat last
Irish i ndeireadh na dála
- i ndeireadh na dálaat the end
Italian finalmente, definitivamente
- finalmenteat the end
- definitivamentedefinitively
- in definitivadefinitively
- alla fineat last
- per concludereat last
- infineat last
Japanese 結局, 終わりに
- 結局 (kekkyoku)at the end
- 終わりに (owari ni)at the end
- 終いに (shimai ni)at the end
- 終に (tsui ni)at last
- 等々 (tōtō)at last
- やっと (yatto)at last
Korean 결국, 드디어
- 결국 (gyeolguk)at the end
- 드디어 (deudieo)at last
- 마침내 (machimnae)at last
Latin dēmum, aliquando
- dēmumat the end
- aliquandoat the end
- tandemat the end
Malay akhirnya
- akhirnyaat the end
Norwegian Bokmål til slutt
- til sluttat the end
Persian بالاخره
- بالاخره (bel-axare)at the end
Polish na koniec, w końcu
- na koniecat the end
- w końcuat last
- wreszcieat last
- nareszcieat last
Portuguese no fim/final, por fim
- no fim/finalat the end
- por fimat the end
- enfimat the end
- finalmentedefinitively
- por últimoat last
- por fimat last
Russian в конце́ концо́в, оконча́тельно
- в конце́ концо́в (v koncé koncóv)at the end
- оконча́тельно (okončátelʹno)definitively
- наконе́ц (nakonéc)at last
Scottish Gaelic aig a' cheann thall
- aig a' cheann thallat the end
Slovak konečne, nakoniec
- konečneat last
- nakoniecat last
Spanish por fin, finalmente
- por finat the end
- finalmenteat the end
- finalmentedefinitively
- finalmenteat last
- por finat last
- al finat last
Swedish slutligen, avslutningsvis
- slutligenat the end
- avslutningsvisat last
Tamil முடிவில், இறுதியாக
- முடிவில் (muṭivil)at the end
- இறுதியாக (iṟutiyāka)definitively
- கடைசியாக (kaṭaiciyāka)at last
Thai ในทีสุด, ในตอนท้าย
- ในทีสุดat the end
- ในตอนท้ายat the end
Ukrainian вре́шті-решт, остато́чно
- вре́шті-решт (vréšti-rešt)at the end
- остато́чно (ostatóčno)definitively
- зре́штою (zréštoju)at last
- наре́шті (naréšti)at last
Vietnamese cuối cùng
- cuối cùngat last
Yiddish סוף־כּל־סוף
- סוף־כּל־סוף (sof-kol-sof)at last
Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
finally. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finally
“finally.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finally. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “finally,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/finally.
Source: finally on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.