Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

inaugurate

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of inaugurate

1 to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of
  • inaugurated the college's environmental studies program
Synonyms of inaugurate

begin, constitute, establish, found, initiate, innovate, institute, introduce, launch, pioneer, plant, set up, start
Words Related to inaugurate

author, father, originate

conceive, concoct, contrive, cook (up), create, devise, fabricate, invent, make up, manufacture, produce, think (up)

construct, put up

develop, enlarge, expand

endow, finance, fund, subsidize

arrange, organize, systematize
Near Antonyms of inaugurate

abolish, annihilate, annul, nullify

end, finish, halt, stop, terminate

round (off or out), wind up, wrap up
Antonyms of inaugurate

close (down), phase out, shut (up)
2 to put into an office or welcome into an organization with special ceremonies
  • The president inaugurated the newest member of the club with a welcoming speech.
Synonyms of inaugurate

baptize, induct, initiate, install, instate, invest, seat
Words Related to inaugurate

swear in

consecrate, enshrine

accept, admit, receive, take in

enlist, enroll (also enrol)
Near Antonyms of inaugurate

can, discharge, fire, terminate

muster out

Synonym Discussion of inaugurate

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation. begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable. begin, opposed to end, is the most general.
    • begin a trip
    • began dancing
start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages.
    • the work started slowly
commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start.
    • commence firing
    • commenced a conversation
initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue.
    • initiated diplomatic contacts
inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance.
    • the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine
usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate.
    • ushered in a period of economic decline

Learn More about inaugurate

  1. See words that rhyme with inaugurate Dictionary: Definition of inaugurate Spanish Central: Translation of inaugurate Nglish: Translation of inaugurate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of inaugurate for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up inaugurate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

cajole

play

to coax or persuade

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. embolization 'the process by which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by a material mass'

  2. oleaginous 'marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality'

  3. pansexual 'sexual desire or attraction...not limited to a particular gender identity or sexual orientation'

  4. symbiote 'an organism living in symbiosis'

  5. charlatan 'faker or fraud'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

alt-5b06e60511014
'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

Nobody wants to be either.

alt-5b05d8545c817
'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Tag the way you want to tag.

image564383649
12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9
'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

spring-flowers
May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz
image1676440788
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game