originator

noun

orig·​i·​na·​tor ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnā-tər 

plural originators

: someone or something that originates or gives rise to something

the originator of the idea/theory

a technique named after its originator

Persia was the originator of melons, cucumbers, and pears.

—Carol Bly

Synonyms of originator

• inventor
• designer
• creator
• founder

Examples of originator in a Sentence

Thomas Edison was the originator of the light bulb

Copernicus is sometimes hailed as the originator of modern astronomy, for he overturned the notion of an earth-centered universe

Recent Examples on the Web

Fortune reported this weekend that loan originators were imposing increasingly strict legal terms into private credit deals, a sign that lenders sense trouble on the horizon. —Jim Edwards, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

Fittingly, the originator returns this year on Black Friday. —Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025

The shop’s owner, Orlando Plein, is the brother of Eddie Plein, the creator and originator of removable pull-out grillz. —Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 13 Oct. 2025

As for a spider woman who could out-Chita-Rivera the part’s originator, Chita Rivera? —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for originator

• accelerator
• accumulator
• adjudicator
• administrator
• appropriator
• articulator
• attenuator
• bronchodilator
• collaborator
• communicator
• conciliator
• cooperator