What's the difference between "lastly" and "finally". While Webster explains several senses of "finally", it doesn't explain any meaning of "lastly" and simply enters it in the entry for "last" as one of its derivatives.
On the other hand, while in the entry for "finally" it uses some synonyms to describe its meanings (such as "eventually" and "ultimately"), it interestingly avoids using "lastly" there.
So, are there any connotative differences between, say:
Finally, we should make some friends in our new school.
and
Lastly, we should make some friends in our new school.
Is it like "finally" is more emotional and "lastly" is more rational?
Best Answer
When the writer is enumerating items in a list "lastly" and "finally" have essentially the same meaning. That seems to be the usage in the question. In other usage, "last" may essentially mean "latest" while "final" more clearly says there will be no more.
And of course "finally" may be used in quite different contexts, such as
meaning "after a long time" or "at the end of an extended process". The word "lastly" would simply not work for any such use -- it does not have that meaning.