schliesslich

Meaning in English

schließlich is an adverb meaning mainly:

1. finally / at last / in the end
   Used for the last step in a sequence or the final result after some time.

   • Er kam schließlich doch. → “He finally came after all.”
   • Schließlich wurde alles gut. → “In the end, everything turned out fine.”

2. after all / anyway / ultimately (often as justification or emphasis)
   Used to support an argument, similar to “after all”.

   • Du kannst nicht einfach gehen; schließlich sind wir ein Team. → “You can’t just leave; after all, we’re a team.”

Word parts / origin

• Derived from Schluss (“end, conclusion”) → schließlich roughly means “in a concluding/final way”.
• It relates to the idea of reaching a conclusion or ending.

German synonyms

Depending on meaning:

• For “finally / in the end”:

  • endlich
  • letztlich
  • am Ende
  • zuletzt (more “last” in a sequence)
  • zum Schluss

• For “after all / anyway”:

  • immerhin (often “after all / at least”)
  • schon (in some argumentative uses)
  • letztendlich / letztlich

German antonyms (if applicable)

There is no perfect direct antonym, but depending on context:

• For “finally / in the end”:

  • anfangs / zunächst / zuerst (at first / initially)

• For “after all” (argumentative):

  • No clear standard antonym; sometimes contrast can be expressed with trotzdem (“nevertheless”), but it’s not a true opposite.