as in first
coming before all others in time or order
you've resolved my initial complaint, but now I have a new question
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of initial
Okla Jones, Essence, 15 Jan. 2026
Larson joined an initial group of 53 House Democrats supporting the articles of impeachment.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2026
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025
One ballot was tossed out because it wasn’t initialed by an election judge, and Balich won the position via a lottery.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for initial
Adjective
In recent years, Miami Art Week has become a bit commercialized, and many feel that its initial purpose has been lost.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 15 Jan. 2026
Larson joined an initial group of 53 House Democrats supporting the articles of impeachment.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2026
Verb
The documents largely amount to a memorandum of understanding, with the two countries’ foreign ministers initialling a peace agreement, and Aliyev and Pashinyan signing a joint declaration to pursue a lasting peace.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2025
One ballot was tossed out because it wasn’t initialed by an election judge, and Balich won the position via a lottery.
—Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for initial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for initial
Adjective
-
His first action of the night came after about three minutes into the game, not long after going over to the exercise bike parked just outside the tunnel leading to their locker room, jumping on it while being advised by a member of the Hornets’ performance staff.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Pratt launched his mayoral run on the first anniversary of the Los Angeles fires, which destroyed his and his wife Heidi Montag’s home.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Disneyland population sign on the train station at the park entrance was last updated in 2013 to 650 million — which is off by 250 million today.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
12 Jan. 2026
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When Jonah refuses to sign on to the new direction, Whitney starts making unilateral moves.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Over the years, Harold’s Chicken grew far beyond its original location, expanding into a regional brand with restaurants across eight states.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
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Earlier in his career, Stern provided the narration for the original version of The Wonder Years.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The neighbors' group endorsed upzoning on the east side of Broadway alongside the Red Line, but said the west side of Broadway should not be upzoned — as taller, high-density buildings would dwarf the smaller buildings to the west.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
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Initially endorsing former President Biden in the 2024 election, UAW threw its support behind former Vice President Kamala Harris after Biden withdrew from the race.—
Sophie Brams,
The Hill,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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AmPav previously hosted IndieWire’s inaugural Future of Filmmaking Summit at Cannes in 2025, and has been a longtime home for IndieWire events at the festival.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
15 Jan. 2026
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The second annual Fan Fest brings back some familiar intellectual properties from the inaugural event with new twists added to the experiences.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Chief Justice John Roberts authored the opinion for the majority, and Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Assembly Bill 1157, introduced last year to further restrict how much landlords can raise the rent each year, failed to get enough votes Tuesday despite being authored by the committee chair, Democratic Assemblymember Ash Kalra of San Jose.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Hurricanes also signed six freshman defensive backs this cycle in JJ Dunnigan, Camdin Portis, Jaelen Waters, Cortez Redding, Brody Jennings and Jontavius Wyman.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
11 Jan. 2026
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If a player chooses not to negotiate with the Panthers, that player will be unable to sign elsewhere, unless Carolina relinquishes his rights by not offering him a tender.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Ford expects to put the first few laps on its new Le Mans challenger in Q3, several months before the team’s maiden race in Qatar in March 2027.—
Jerry Perez,
The Drive,
16 Jan. 2026
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Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Ted Noffey remains the favorite at 6-1 on the morning line, followed by Kentucky Jockey Club winner Further Ado at 10-1, Remsen winner Paladin at 10-1 and dominant Churchill Downs maiden winer Cannoneer at 15-1.—
Kevin Modesti,
Oc Register,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Initial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initial. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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