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

inchoative

adjective

Definition of inchoativenext
as in initial

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inchoative
  1. initial
  2. first
  3. formative
  4. inceptive
  5. inchoate
  6. original
  7. incipient
  8. nascent
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
  • 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
Adjective
  • Yet the film’s own case is pretty tenuous, and does little to counter Kaczynski’s later assertion that the experience, while unpleasant, wasn’t formative.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Kate has repeatedly highlighted the importance of childhood experiences and early relationships, stressing that what happens in the formative years can influence wellbeing and development long into adulthood.
    — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of formative
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of inceptive
Adjective
  • When she, like many other comely Vanderpump employees, entangled in each other’s lives and shifts, was asked to be on Vanderpump Rules, Ajir was hesitant about its potential impact on Madix’s inchoate acting career.
    — Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Yet, even these inchoate moments deepen the music’s sense of honest confusion.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Definition of inchoate
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
  • My ‘Deborah Vance Show senior writer’ persona was kind of a rude complainer with an incipient alcohol problem.
    — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Yet people in Venezuela saw few indications of an incipient transition.
    — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
Definition of incipient
Adjective
  • Well, the folks behind the nascent NWSL squad seem to have something cooked up for Monday.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • So far, Meta’s famously poor privacy track record in social media has not prevented it from taking the lead in the nascent smart glasses category.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of nascent
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.

Browse Nearby Words

inchoate
inchoative
incidence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inchoative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inchoative. Accessed 29 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 argot

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