Synonyms of commencement

commencement

noun

kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt 

as in beginning

the point at which something begins

there was a large turnout at the commencement of the conference, but the numbers dwindled as it progressed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beginning
• start
• inception
• onset
• launch
• alpha
• outset
• genesis
• dawn
• birth
• inauguration
• initiation
• baseline
• morning
• threshold
• kickoff
• incipiency
• infancy
• day one
• origination
• incipience
• nascence
• nascency
• founding
• origin
• arrival
• get-go
• spring
• opening
• first base
• institution
• creation
• emergence
• drawing board
• debut
• advent
• dawning
• ground zero
• cradle
• source
• fountain
• germ
• appearance
• well
• square one
• childhood
• fountainhead
• root
• seedbed
• youth
• wellspring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• end
• conclusion
• ending
• close
• period
• completion
• termination
• cessation
• closing
• closure
• finish
• stop
• omega
• finale
• windup

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of commencement

If, for example, a commencement speaker praising the value of artificial intelligence is met with jeers from graduates – as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was in May 2026 – the speaker’s message is immediately rendered inert. — Evan Clarkson, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026

In July, the City Council approved a fourth request for more modifications to the redevelopment agreement — which pushed back the project’s commencement from July 31, 2026, to July 31, 2027, according to city documents. — Taylor O'Connor 6, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026

Ben Affleck gave the commencement speech at her graduation from the Ivy League, with Bruce Willis, older sister Rumer, and Willis’s wife Emma Heming Willis in attendance for Scout’s milestone moment. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 6 Aug. 2026

El-Sayed graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biology and political science and delivered the commencement speech. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026