inceptive

adjective

Definition of inceptivenext
as in initial
beginning to come into existence only just recently gained an inceptive understanding of the overwhelming vastness of the universe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 inceptive Vaccinating our faculty and staff is our first step toward keeping our schools open and safe and will be inceptive to reopening our economy. — Margaret W. Long, chicagotribune.com, 19 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inceptive
  1. initial
  2. nascent
  3. first
  4. elementary
  5. incipient
  6. inchoate
Adjective
  • The initial proof of principle by the Normal team served as an inspiration for Whitelam, who recently reported a simulation of a nonequilibrium thermodynamic computing circuit.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026
  • The initial broadcast sparked protests and complaints from viewers, advertisers, and conservative activists, leading some CBS affiliates to exclude the episode from their lineup of reruns the following summer.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • That’s the goal of a nascent field called thermodynamic computing.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026
  • The free streaming service is more nascent, but Versant executives say that simply by quietly ramping up the content in recent weeks, the service’s engagement has quietly been rising.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
Definition of nascent
Adjective
  • Monday’s victory for the Braves was just their second in the last 11 games against the Padres and the first of this season after being swept in San Diego in June.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 21 July 2026
  • Gen might have gotten away scot-free from the sheets incident in terms of optics — no one questions her involvement, even though her job description includes housekeeping — but karma hounds her during the first day of the charter.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 21 July 2026
Definition of first
Adjective
  • Children ages 6-11, in the early elementary years, are still developing socially.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, Fortune, 15 July 2026
  • It was hit and miss, but overall those bookshelves were like the world itself, stretchy enough to accommodate, across decades, both a middle-aged lawyer and his elementary-school granddaughter.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
Definition of elementary
Adjective
  • Yet people in Venezuela saw few indications of an incipient transition.
    — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • Nolan, who also wrote the screenplay, cuts between Ulysses’ trials and Telemachus’ travels through the Ionian isles to find out whether his father is still alive – a matter of some importance both to his incipient manhood and to Penelope back home.
    — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2026
Definition of incipient
Adjective
  • Yet, even these inchoate moments deepen the music’s sense of honest confusion.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
  • These are the inchoate and unarticulated aspects of the relationship an author offers to us through a book, the parts of the reading experience that provide a kind of psychological mooring for a reader.
    — Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026
Definition of inchoate

Browse Nearby Words

inceptions
inceptive
incertitude
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inceptive. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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