initiation
Americannoun
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formal admission or acceptance into an organization or club, adult status in one's community or society, etc.
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the ceremonies or rites of admission.
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the act of initiating.
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the fact of being initiated.
noun
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the act of initiating or the condition of being initiated
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the often secret ceremony initiating new members into an organization
Other Word Forms
- preinitiation noun
Etymology
Origin of initiation
First recorded in 1575–85, initiation is from the Latin word initiātiōn- (stem of initiātiō ). See initiate, -ion
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.
Membership costs $5,000 a year plus a $7,500 initiation fee, not including the price of food and drink.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
Like everybody, there was a rough initiation period, but afterward, he gave me the opportunity to work on some tailored pieces that sold really well at retail, so I was rewarded with more opportunities.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
What’s the immediate upshot of the initiation of hostilities in Iran over this past weekend for risk assets?
From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026
“As such deserts have expanded, patients in the first trimester have had to drive further, and thus it is unsurprising that early initiation is decreasing.”
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026
The Dauntless taught initiates how to throw knives even before the changes to initiation that Max made before I joined them.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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.
