What does "aboriginally" mean?

From or in the earliest known times.

What is a synonym for "aboriginally"?

Common synonyms include: absolutely, thoroughly, utterly.

Pronounced //ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.n̩.ə.li//.

//ˌæb.əˈɹɪd͡ʒ.n̩.ə.li// adv

adv ·Rare ·Advanced level

Adverb

1
From or in the earliest known times. not-comparable
"[…] man has lost that sense of the full awfulness of the sea which aboriginally belongs to it."
2
In the period before contact with Europeans (especially with reference to peoples subjected to colonization). not-comparable
"Xaymaca, as the island was aboriginally known, is situated in the Caribbean Sea […]"
3
By indigenous Canadians (often capitalized in this sense). Canada, not-comparable
"All land subject to the claim becomes either Crown land or aboriginally-owned land."
4
To the utmost degree (modifying an adjective.) not-comparable
"Though his rage against iniquity is aboriginally simple and childlike, and is certainly not always level-headed, it is never divorced from reason […]"

"[…] man has lost that sense of the full awfulness of the sea which aboriginally belongs to it."

From aboriginal + -ly.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.