initial
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or occurring at the beginning; first.
the initial step in a process.
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Phonetics. occurring at the beginning of a word or syllable, as the (k) sound of kite, chasm, or quay.
noun
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initials
plural
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an initial letter, as of a word.
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the first letter of a proper name.
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a letter of extra size or an ornamental character used at the beginning of a chapter or other division of a book, manuscript, or the like.
verb (used with object)
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initials,
present (3rd person singular)
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initialed,
past participle, past
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initialled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
initialing,
present participle
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initialling
present participle (especially British)
adjective
noun
-
the first letter of a word, esp a person's name
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printing a large sometimes highly decorated letter set at the beginning of a chapter or work
-
botany a cell from which tissues and organs develop by division and differentiation; a meristematic cell
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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initialernoun
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preinitialverb (used with object)
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subinitialverb (used with object)
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uninitialedadjective
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initiallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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initialsimple
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initialssimple
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have initialedperfect
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have initialledperfect
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has initialedperfect
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has initialledperfect
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am initialingprogressive
-
am initiallingprogressive
-
are initialingprogressive
-
are initiallingprogressive
-
is initialingprogressive
-
is initiallingprogressive
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have been initialingperfect progressive
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have been initiallingperfect progressive
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has been initialingperfect progressive
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has been initiallingperfect progressive
Past
-
initialedsimple
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initialledsimple
-
had initialedperfect
-
had initialledperfect
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was initialingprogressive
-
was initiallingprogressive
-
were initialingprogressive
-
were initiallingprogressive
-
had been initialingperfect progressive
-
had been initiallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of initial
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin initiālis, equivalent to initi(um) “beginning” ( init-, noun derivative of inīre “to enter, begin”; in- in- 2 + īre “to go”; cf. comes) + -ium -ium ) + -alis -al 1
Explanation
The first letter of your name is your initial. The first thing you say to someone is your initial greeting. Initial is something that occurs first or at the beginning. If someone asks you to initial a form, they're asking you to sign by writing your initials on it. If your name is Inna Instant, you would write I.I., and you'd probably write it really quick! The first draft of a paper might be called your initial pass at getting your ideas down. If you say that these are your initial ideas, it implies that you will be coming up with more.
Vocabulary lists containing initial
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Word Generation Science - Preparing a Scientific Investigation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Other experts say schools experience an initial bump in applications after a tuition-cut announcement but not a long-term boost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
With mortgage rates above 7%, alternative mortgages with lower initial monthly payments will likely become more attractive to buyers despite their risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The initial recommendation came from scouts, and given Alvarez was not a player originally identified by his metrics, the data team had to take a closer look.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Williams did not appear on USC’s initial availability report released Wednesday evening after telling reporters Tuesday that he was “ready to go.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
As a commander he knew the power of fright, but once they had gained the upper hand in the initial skirmish the mice lost their fear and became bolder.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
She wears a pearl-trimmed French hood; a dark, square-necked gown with white lace, gold and pearl trim; a pearl necklace; and, with one exception, a pearl necklace with the pendant initials “AB” or “B.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
After getting fired, Eatherly pivoted, creating his own remodeling business, named after his initials, DLE Contracting.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
The former leader, known by his initials JOH, returned home on July 26, nearly eight months after Trump issued his shock pardon that overturned Hernandez's 45-year prison sentence.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Although the artist is only identified by his initials, N.D.C, the Times was able to identify him through social media and news reports as Nayvadius DeMun Cash, the rapper known professionally as “Future.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
This inventor, who gave his initials as R. T. E., envisioned a tower four thousand feet tall from which he proposed to hang a two-thousand-foot cable of “best rubber.”
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
During his summation, Steinglass pointed to a document that had been initialed by Trump and called it “explicit” proof of his knowing that his executives were tinkering with expenses to reduce their tax liabilities.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2022
Another poll worker also initialed the ballots before they were handed to voters.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
He testified to purchasing a car for $3,500 and initialed a blank sales agreement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
At the very top, there are two giant joists initialed by workers from 1864.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2020
I turned back to the wires, counted them, corrected the inventory slip, initialed it, and moved down to the next shelf.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
Medinsky said Russia had made a second major de-escalatory step by agreeing to a possible meeting of the two countries’ presidents at the same moment that a peace agreement was initialled.
From Reuters ● Mar. 29, 2022
Pages initialled by "DC" set out how the single market, due to start in 1992, would help business, workers, consumers, savers, holidaymakers.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2019
Agreements would also be initialled with Georgia and Moldova.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2013
President Mohamed Mursi's government initialled an IMF deal in November but postponed ratification in December due to unrest ignited by a political row over the extent of Mursi's powers.
From Reuters ● Apr. 3, 2013
“That is correct, Monsieur. My handkerchiefs are always initialled in the Russian characters. H is N in Russian.”
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
Sometimes, I think back to initialing the bark, or nailing a plank of wood into the trunk, or breaking a branch by accident.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2023
Scott McDonell, the Dane County clerk, said the man is a poll worker, and the video shows him initialing ballots before they were handed out to voters.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
He was initialing ballots to be handed out to voters, a standard procedure mandated by state law, according to the county clerk.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
But he turned out to be a poll worker in Wisconsin conducting the standard procedure of initialing ballots for voters.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2022
Next morning she was singing as usual over her initialing.
From The Fifth Wheel A Novel by Olive Higgins Prouty
Miss Belmont stooped at the table, and when Mr. Berry entered he found her initialling the pay-sheet.
From Despair's Last Journey by David Christie Murray
He was very preoccupied, pinning up cheques and initialling some important customer's paying-in book.
From Somehow Good by William Frend De Morgan
This is the Epeira’s trade-mark, the flourish of an artist initialling his creation.
From The Life of the Spider by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos
While Mollie and Grace closed their eyes, Betty dug idly in the sand, and Amy produced a handkerchief and a tiny embroidery frame and began initialling a corner.
From The Outdoor Girls at Ocean View Or, The Box That Was Found in the Sand by Laura Lee Hope
The earlier taste still ruled in initialling and border decorations; but little flowers were added by degrees to the thorn-leaf pattern, and birds, sometimes angels, introduced.
From The Development of the Feeling for Nature in the Middle Ages and Modern Times by Alfred Biese
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
