initiative

American  

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

noun

• initiatives
  plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• initiatives
  plural

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

See Examples For:

initiative initiatives

"It's not that simple ... the technological initiative was not flowing from the top down. It wasn't a government order," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a motion to hire a consultant to reevaluate how it allocates funds collected via a property tax instituted by Measure B, a 2002 ballot initiative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Their next target is Colorado, where they submitted signatures on Monday for a ballot initiative in November that would replace the state’s flat tax with a steeply progressive income tax.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Also known by its rather unsubtle acronym, CRUSH, this initiative is taking unprecedented steps to withhold and defer funds in response to suspected fraud.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Instead, I’d been busy working on my fourth initiative as First Lady, called Let Girls Learn, which Barack and I had launched together back in the spring.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Wendy’s slashed its quarterly dividend to seven cents a share from 14 cents to help fund its new marketing and operational initiatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Improving third-party evaluations with initiatives such as a "trusted tester scheme" for the most risky types of challenges could also be used to limit adverse impacts, she said.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Today, Rivera is the director of special initiatives and innovations at the Center for Community Alternatives in Syracuse, New York.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

The grants were for clean energy projects such as new battery plants, electrical grid upgrades, carbon capture initiatives and a $1.2-billion award for California’s nascent hydrogen hub known as ARCHES.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“We had to think,” he later wrote, “about initiatives that we could undertake to show the enemy that we were still serious about our commitments in Vietnam.”

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• action
• drive
• leadership
• push