INITIATOR Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

initiator

noun

as in founder

a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor as the initiator of printing from movable type, Gutenberg revolutionized people's access to written language

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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 initiator His expectations fell after a forgettable Las Vegas Summer League, where much was made of his attempts as an on-ball initiator. — Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Reaching out to express gratitude, offer help, or simply listen is consistently rated as more rewarding by the recipient than the initiator expects. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Repurposing a prototype One of the scientists, and the initiator of the record-creating project, was Pierre Léna. — Dhananjay Khadilkar, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026 The researchers used liquid metal particles (LMPs) as initiators for polymerization, the chemical process used to form the hydrogel network. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026 His top recommendation for the latter was Pitzock, the restaurant run by his uncle Oskar Messner, one of the initiators of the Slow Food movement in the valley and among the most knowledgeable sources in the region on local ingredients and tradition. — Jenn Rice, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2026 Los Angeles also employed Luke Kennard as a ballhandler and initiator, and guard Marcus Smart is back after missing nearly three weeks with a right ankle injury. — ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026 Peterson is breathtakingly talented as a scorer and on-ball initiator, but health concerns have marred an otherwise impressive freshman season. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026 History suggests that wars aimed at reshaping political systems hardly ever unfold as their initiators intend. — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for initiator

Noun

That idea is behind NewTree Social, an early-stage community events app from 29-year-old founder Maddy O'Connor.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Bass-Moore, now an actress and playwright in New York, worked in community engagement at Texas and was the co-founder and director of the university’s Fearless Leadership Institute.

— Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of founder

Noun

The audience becomes a training environment, available to provide instant feedback to anything a creator publishes.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Co-creator and showrunner Dario Scardapane has also exited the series, which is in the midst of post-production.

— Jordan Moreau, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of creator

Noun

With steel and aluminum in limited supply in World War II, Allied forces gave serious consideration to a proposal made by English inventor Geoffrey Pyke to build ships out of little more than frozen water.

— Mike McRae September 16, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
And yet, despite America’s best efforts, in the midst of this horror, millions of artists, travelers, and inventors created love, and light.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of inventor

Noun

The authors say the findings need to be confirmed through larger and more extensive prospective studies, which can be particularly important because the research examines an observational association.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
The idea that language emerged for social bonding is not new; however, the authors of the new article highlight that fireside context might have been crucial.

— Hannah Little, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of author

Noun

Following his opera career, Schachtel’s father became a cantor and married a granddaughter of Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, a rabbi of Grodno, after whom the seminary of Yeshiva University is named.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Wickersham said last year that the silver Pontiac G5 car that the suspect used to ram the police SUV belonged to the man's father.

— Christina Hall, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of father

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“Initiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initiator. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of initiator

noun

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