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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of inaugural
Melinda Newman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2026
These openings coincided with the inaugural seasons of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators (1998) and the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans (1999).
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Edward Russell, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
Not So Glamorous Speaking of which, inaugurals are theoretically supposed to be glamorous.
—Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inaugural
Adjective
The baseball team, in conjunction with Live Nation, will host the inaugural Braves Country Fest at their home stadium, Truist Park.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 28 Jan. 2026
These openings coincided with the inaugural seasons of the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators (1998) and the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans (1999).
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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
Not So Glamorous Speaking of which, inaugurals are theoretically supposed to be glamorous.
—Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inaugural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inaugural
Adjective
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If approved for the public safety role, Williams would be Pittsburgh's first Black director of the department.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Johnson was around in 2013 when Dave Gettleman took defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short in the first and second rounds, respectively, in Gettleman’s first draft as Carolina’s GM.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The tech industry has historically leaned left, but many leaders, including Altman, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have formed relationships with Trump since day 1 of his second administration and attended his inauguration.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
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Expansion accelerated in 2020, culminating in the inauguration of the cross-country line linking Ghuwaifat to Fujairah in 2023, alongside the completion of the Abu Dhabi-Dubai corridor and its extension to Sharjah in 2024.—
Keith J Fernandez,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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These two agents appear to be the two officers identified as the shooters in an initial report by the Department of Homeland Security about the incident.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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During an initial court appearance Thursday, a judge granted the government's request to detain Kazmierczak pending a detention hearing Tuesday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The Oh-My-God particle first interacted with an atomic nucleus in the upper atmosphere, producing a series of daughter particles that each maintain a fraction of the original particle’s momentum, which then collide with greater and greater numbers of particles, and so on.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
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The show, clearly meant to be an appealing first exposure for K-pop outsiders, selects Top 40 hits from across the decades and pairs the original artists up with Korean idols, who transform them in ways meant to resemble the K-pop formula.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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While the next Neutron stage is being readied for its maiden flight, its Hungry Hippo fairing is undergoing post-delivery inspections ahead of transportation to MARS's Rocket Lab Launch Copmlex-3 (LC-3) for further tests.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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There’s no doubt the learning curve will be steep this season, so does Pérez believe points or even a podium is realistic for the team’s maiden voyage?—
Aleks Klosok,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Live and Let Die also notably broke the color barrier, with Bond’s relationship with a Black woman, Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), being among the foremost mainstream films to feature an interracial romance.—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Jan. 2026
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Even now the Schrödinger equation remains physicists’ foremost window into the quantum realm.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inaugural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inaugural. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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