ini·tial
i-ˈni-shəl 
1
: of or relating to the beginning : incipient
his initial reaction
2
: placed at the beginning : first
the initial word of the verse
initialed or initialled; initialing or initialling
i-ˈni-sh(ə-)liŋ
1
: to affix an initial to
2
: to authenticate or give preliminary approval to by affixing the initials of an authorizing representative
Synonyms
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
Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Approximately 1,655 people were killed in the initial quake, and 3,000 people were injured.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Several aftershocks were reported following Friday morning's initial quake, the strongest being a 4.0 magnitude that rattled the New York City region Friday evening.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
The rapid adoption was in part a function of AI’s novelty—without initial interest, nothing can catch on.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Oceanside has allocated $2.59 million from its share of American Rescue Plan Act funds for the initial stages of the project.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
Although their initial technology didn't work out, Lau said, the duo teamed up with friends and fellow engineers, and in 2013, Schleppenbach, Tom Baker and Alex Moon came up with a product that hit the right balance of capability and affordability.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
However, Haitians have struggled to get through just the initial formation of the presidential council.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
Subscribe to The Trump Trials, our weekly email newsletter on Donald Trump's four criminal cases
The issue of the new potential evidence was serious enough that even Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) agreed on the need for an initial delay to review the material.
—Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
The former pair initially kept their divorce private, using only initials in their filings.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 30 Mar. 2024
The couple were identified in court filings by their first initials to protect their privacy.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
The former director of nursing said that during an inspection in November, colleagues forged her initials on medical records for a patient who had fallen while being transported to a doctor’s appointment.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2024
In addition to co-starring in the video, Wade and Richards have tattooed initials on each other's bodies and vacationed together in Paris.
Season 2 of Buying Beverly Hills is now streaming on Netflix.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
The victims are Franke's two youngest children, who ABC News is referring to by their initials: R, the 12-year-old boy who first escaped from Hildebrandt's sprawling 10,000-square-foot home in August, and E, a 9-year-old-girl who was found in the same home later that day.
—Samantha Wanderer, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Trump would own at least 58% of the new company, which would list on the Nasdaq under the former President’s initials, DJT.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024
Hitler’s party, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (its German initials were N.S.D.A.P.), emerged with thirty-seven per cent of the vote, and two hundred and thirty out of six hundred and eight seats in the Reichstag, the German parliament—substantially ahead of any of its rivals.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
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
Adjective
If initial plans take form, the property’s size could swell from roughly 322,000 square feet to about 500,000 square feet.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Approximately 1,655 people were killed in the initial quake, and 3,000 people were injured.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024
Several aftershocks were reported following Friday morning's initial quake, the strongest being a 4.0 magnitude that rattled the New York City region Friday evening.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
The rapid adoption was in part a function of AI’s novelty—without initial interest, nothing can catch on.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Oceanside has allocated $2.59 million from its share of American Rescue Plan Act funds for the initial stages of the project.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
Although their initial technology didn't work out, Lau said, the duo teamed up with friends and fellow engineers, and in 2013, Schleppenbach, Tom Baker and Alex Moon came up with a product that hit the right balance of capability and affordability.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
However, Haitians have struggled to get through just the initial formation of the presidential council.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
Subscribe to The Trump Trials, our weekly email newsletter on Donald Trump's four criminal cases
The issue of the new potential evidence was serious enough that even Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) agreed on the need for an initial delay to review the material.
—Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Noun
Select your profile picture or initials in the upper-right corner of the screen.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
The former pair initially kept their divorce private, using only initials in their filings.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 30 Mar. 2024
The couple were identified in court filings by their first initials to protect their privacy.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
The former director of nursing said that during an inspection in November, colleagues forged her initials on medical records for a patient who had fallen while being transported to a doctor’s appointment.
—Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2024
In addition to co-starring in the video, Wade and Richards have tattooed initials on each other's bodies and vacationed together in Paris.
Season 2 of Buying Beverly Hills is now streaming on Netflix.
—Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
The victims are Franke's two youngest children, who ABC News is referring to by their initials: R, the 12-year-old boy who first escaped from Hildebrandt's sprawling 10,000-square-foot home in August, and E, a 9-year-old-girl who was found in the same home later that day.
—Samantha Wanderer, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Trump would own at least 58% of the new company, which would list on the Nasdaq under the former President’s initials, DJT.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024
Hitler’s party, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (its German initials were N.S.D.A.P.), emerged with thirty-seven per cent of the vote, and two hundred and thirty out of six hundred and eight seats in the Reichstag, the German parliament—substantially ahead of any of its rivals.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near initial
Cite this Entry
“Initial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initial. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
initial
1 of 3 adjective
ini·tial
in-ˈish-əl
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
initial
2 of 3 noun1
: 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
: to mark with initials or an initial
initial a handkerchief
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