1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

inaugural 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˈnȯ-gyə-rəl How to pronounce inaugural (audio)
Definition of inauguralnext
as in first
coming before all others in time or order the inaugural event in the city's week long festival honoring the sailing ships

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

inaugural

2 of 2

noun

as in inauguration
the process or an instance of being formally placed in an office or organization attended the inaugurals of the city's last three mayors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of inaugural
Adjective
The company has received the inaugural MegaBoost award from the National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026 Dos Santos, 49, was an assistant on Bob Bradley’s staff in LAFC’s inaugural season in 2018. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
In Andrew Jackson's first inaugural, Andrew Jackson calls himself an instrument of the federal Constitution. — NBC news, 11 Jan. 2026 If fundraising is Global’s plan with its pair of inaugurals, leaving its A380 parked at JFK for four days between flights is an odd choice. — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for inaugural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inaugural
  1. first
  2. inauguration
  3. initial
  4. original
  5. maiden
  6. foremost
Adjective
  • The Ordinary also staked out its first flagship, of 170 square feet, in Paris’ Marais district after a successful pop-up drew lines outside the door.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Shakira Live From Madrid will be the pop star’s first full concert to air live; she’s been touring for over a year and made a few changes to the setlist to add some World Cup and Zootopia flair.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of first
Noun
  • The companies contributed $1 million each to Trump’s inauguration and spent millions lobbying Congress and federal agencies in the lead-up to the passage of the 2025 tax and spending bill, according to the letter.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Pope Francis had refused repeatedly to make a proper state visit to France during his 12-year pontificate and pointedly refused to join the inauguration of the rebuilt Notre Dame cathedral in 2024.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of inauguration
Adjective
  • Their first interaction went viral as the streamer had the OVO boss bark for her during their initial meeting.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026
  • System instructions should require the agent to inspect initial evidence, reformulate searches, run additional retrieval passes, compare sources and verify material claims.
    — Patrick Dajos, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • Special guest vocalists, selected by the album’s original producers, include Baby Rose, Corinne Bailey Rae, FLO, Jessie Reyez, Jorja Smith, Lianne La Havas, Nia Smith, Sasha Keable, Skye Newman, and Yebba.
    — Thomas Smith, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Love, at 85 years old, is the sole member of the original Beach Boys lineup who still tours under that name, performing all their classic, SPF-friendly hits with younger instrumentalists.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of original
Adjective
  • The maiden flight of the full-scale eFlyer 2 prototype launched from Centennial Airport near Denver, with chief test pilot Elliot Seguin at the controls.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Fast bowler Newman Nyamhuri, who took his maiden five-wicket haul in the first match, was rested and Zimbabwe brought in Ernest Masuku, also for the first time in the series.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of maiden
Adjective
  • Founded in 1937, the Fashion Scholarship Fund is the fashion industry’s foremost education and workforce development nonprofit.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Making the roster more functional will be the foremost objective for whomever Crane chooses to replace Brown.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of foremost

Browse Nearby Words

inaudibly
inaugural
inaugurals
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inaugural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inaugural. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of epistemic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All