initiative

American  

[ih-nish-uh-tiv, ih-nish-ee-uh-] / ɪˈnɪʃ ə tɪv, ɪˈnɪʃ i ə- /

noun

1. an introductory act or step; leading action.

   to take the initiative in making friends.

2. readiness and ability in initiating action; enterprise.

   to lack initiative.

   Synonyms:

   dynamism, forcefulness, leadership

3. one's personal, responsible decision.

   to act on one's own initiative.

4. Government.

   1. a procedure by which a specified number of voters may propose a statute, constitutional amendment, or ordinance, and compel a popular vote on its adoption.

   2. the general right or ability to present a new bill or measure, as in a legislature.

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adjective

1. of or relating to formal admission or acceptance into a club or other group; signifying an initiation.

   The secret society's initiative events are best left undescribed.

2. serving to set in motion or initiate; introductory; beginning.

   Initiative steps were taken to stop manufacture of the drug.

initiative British  

/ -ˈnɪʃətɪv, ɪˈnɪʃɪətɪv /

noun

1. the first step or action of a matter; commencing move

   he took the initiative

   a peace initiative

2. the right or power to begin or initiate something

   he has the initiative

3. the ability or attitude required to begin or initiate something

4. government

   1. the right or power to introduce legislation, etc, in a legislative body

   2. the procedure by which citizens originate legislation, as in many American states and Switzerland

5. without being prompted

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adjective

1. of or concerning initiation or serving to initiate; initiatory

initiative Idioms  

1. see on one's own account (initiative); take the initiative.

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Other Word Forms

• initiatively adverb
• self-initiative noun
• superinitiative noun
• uninitiative adjective

Etymology

Origin of initiative

First recorded in 1785–95; initiate + -ive

Example Sentences

Bass told the group she’s preparing to launch an initiative to clean up the city’s streets — and that she made a personnel move in that regard as well.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The initiative was formally introduced at a press conference at the Archaeological Museum of Frankfurt.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

The initiative aims to improve online listing accuracy, which retailers struggle with, and prepare for AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Anticipating that agentic-AI capabilities would require a different approach than traditional SaaS products, ServiceNow launched its FDE initiative in May 2025.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

“Well, look. Why not a type of order. What type of order requires the most initiative? What type of order would occur almost always only in an emergency?”

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

Related Words

• action
• drive
• leadership
• push