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

Explanation

Initiative is all about taking charge. An initiative is the first in a series of actions. Initiative can also mean a personal quality that shows a willingness to get things done and take responsibility. An initiative is the start of something, with the hope that it will continue. Government and business start initiatives all the time. You can also talk about initiative as a personal quality. A person with initiative is motivated to do things. If you take the initiative, you're willing to get things done on your own. Taking initiative can be risky: If you do something on your own initiative, then there's nobody you can blame if it goes wrong.

Example Sentences

Usually, invasive species are deliberately targeted by humans to try to bring them under control, like the initiative to feed contraceptives to grey squirrels.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

The effort dovetails with the aims of the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance program, a $1.1 billion initiative to amass an arsenal of around 300,000 low-cost attack drones by the end of 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Web Services announced on Wednesday the launch of the GenAI Creators’ Fund, a joint initiative that gives creators access to professional-grade AI tools and funding to produce cinematic entertainment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026

To help locate and protect similar nesting sites, Danforth and his colleagues have launched a global citizen science initiative encouraging people to report ground nesting bee aggregations they encounter.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2026

Her dæmon had done it on his own initiative, and now he withdrew and fluttered to her shoulder as the smallest of moths.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• action
• drive
• leadership
• push