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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Here's our top story this morning: Developments can take years to go from initial conceptualization to vertical reality. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 22 Aug. 2025 While these tools are typically applied for the initial candidate screening, these systems can filter out even highly-qualified candidates if their profiles don’t meet the AI system’s particular criteria. Jon Stojan, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
Noun
Each dancer's suitcase also came with a name tag engraved with their initials and a letter from Beyoncé and her Parkwood Entertainment company. Caché McClay, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025 One drawing shows Savannah's initials, colored in yellow, and has words branching off that describe her personality. Kayla Grant, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
The documents largely amount to a memorandum of understanding, with the two countries’ foreign ministers initialling a peace agreement, and Aliyev and Pashinyan signing a joint declaration to pursue a lasting peace. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025 The two countries and the United States said on Wednesday that their technical teams initialed a draft peace agreement that is expected to be signed next week. Reuters, CNN Money, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for initial

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

Cite this Entry

“Initial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initial. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on initial

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