initial

1 of 3

adjective

ini·​tial i-ˈni-shəl How to pronounce initial (audio)
1
: of or relating to the beginning : incipient
his initial reaction
2
: placed at the beginning : first
the initial word of the verse
initialness noun

initial

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: the first letter of a name
b
initials plural : the first letter of each word in a full name
found that their initials were identical
2
: a large letter beginning a text or a division or paragraph
3
: anlage, precursor
specifically : a meristematic cell

initial

3 of 3

verb

initialed or initialled; initialing or initialling i-ˈni-sh(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce initial (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to affix an initial to
2
: to authenticate or give preliminary approval to by affixing the initials of an authorizing representative

Examples of initial in a Sentence

Adjective you've resolved my initial complaint, but now I have a new question Noun President Franklin D. Roosevelt's middle initial stood for “Delano.” She put her initials on each page of the contract. The initials F.D.R. stood for “Franklin Delano Roosevelt.” Verb She initialed each page of the contract.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The initial case from last year has a trial date set for Oct. 16, according to court records. Dan Morse, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 The rules would require no reduction in usage for 122 water agencies — an increase from 71 agencies under the initial plan — representing nearly a third of the state’s urban suppliers. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The initial findings were not great, to say the least. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 Ranti Studios has garnered nearly 25,000 followers since her initial beginnings with knitting as a hobby. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 13 Mar. 2024 Blavatnik, who made his initial fortune by acquiring aluminum smelting facilities after the collapse of the Soviet Union, has diversified heavily into real estate, gaming and entertainment in recent years. Jordan Hoffman, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 During its initial phase, two film specialists who are HKDI graduates will benefit from the program described above. Faye Bradley, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 Produced on a shoestring budget, the film barely made a ripple on its initial release. Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 Spokespeople referred by the Jackson Police Department declined to provide additional details on the case beyond that initial press release but tell PEOPLE that the investigation remains open. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
Noun
Every detail is thought out here, from the incredibly comfortable backpack straps, multiple strong pockets, an articulating foot for upright or angled standing, and even embroidery for your initials to stand out even further. Red Fabbri, Travel + Leisure, 12 Mar. 2024 One plaintiff, a Native American woman identified by her initials, F.S., said that she was raped one to three times per week by a correctional officer, and was sometimes held down by two other officers while she was being attacked. Tim Arango, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 The Prince and Princess of Wales use the initials of their first names as shorthand on social media to signal when correspondence personally comes from them. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Among other things, detectives never talked to Joe Swanson, the dummy manufacturer whose initials — JS — appeared on the side of the dummy box found on set. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 29 Feb. 2024 Tomás Cott, widely recognized by his initials, TC, challenges the stereotypes that have clouded the perception of cannabis users for decades. Javier Hasse, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 There are more than 150 leaded glass windows throughout the home, some with a faint pink or purple tint, and original crystal light fixtures are stamped with the initials of Dorothy Phipps. Mark David, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2024 In her painting, their initials are enclosed in a graffiti heart under the same window. David Owen, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024 Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe carved their initials into the wood bar of the hotel's Cape Cod Room, and those initials are still there today. Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
In other words, a $7,500 tax credit was meaningless to initial Tesla buyers, but the quality of the car wasn’t. John Tamny, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 This surgeon worked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham at the same time as Bramhall but before the initialing incidents. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022 The books draw heavily on Bramhall’s medical knowledge, but the one based on the initialing incident remains unpublished; its title is Letterman. Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022 Simply use a zester to initial a lime wedge for each guest's drink. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2022 According to Shah, she was told to initial next to each relevant statement as Bastos read them aloud. Gabrielle Chung, PEOPLE.com, 16 June 2021 Leaders of the three countries met in 1992 in San Antonio, Texas, to initial the agreement. David Luhnow, WSJ, 4 June 2021 Value of those tools was initially set at around $500 total and police noted that they had been initialed by the owner. Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 15 Apr. 2020 The agreement was initialed and signed by Tully in March, but was not filed until April 7, according to online court records. Holly V. Hays, Indianapolis Star, 17 Apr. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'initial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French iniciel, from Latin initialis, from initium beginning, from inire to go into, from in- + ire to go — more at issue entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of initial was in 1526

Dictionary Entries Near initial

Cite this Entry

“Initial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initial. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

initial

1 of 3 adjective
ini·​tial in-ˈish-əl How to pronounce initial (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or existing at the beginning : earliest
initial stages of a disease
2
: placed or standing at the beginning : first
the initial letter of a word
initially adverb

initial

2 of 3 noun
1
: a first letter of a name
2
: a large letter beginning a text or paragraph

initial

3 of 3 verb
initialed or initialled; initialing or initialling -ˈish-(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce initial (audio)
: to mark with initials or an initial
initial a handkerchief

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