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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Recent Examples of initiator
Ausar Thompson is the Pistons’ second-most effective offensive initiator after Cunningham.
—
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 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
And when Aaron's healthier, that's an initiator of our offense as well.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
PiqlFilm is also the initiator of the Arctic World Archive (AWA), a repository for world memory located in Northern Norway on the Arctic Ocean.
—Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The mega-stars and Göteborg natives Alicia Vikander and Ruben Östlund are major supporters of the festival – Alicia as initiator of the Alicia Vikander Film Lab which supports next gen filmmakers in Góteborg and Ruben as Honorary President.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
As the initiator, the numerology of 2026 is asking us to take a starring role in our lives.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 29 Nov. 2025
His focus was less on scoring and more on orchestrating plays, acting as the primary initiator of the Spurs’ offense.
—Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 Mar. 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
And when Aaron's healthier, that's an initiator of our offense as well.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
PiqlFilm is also the initiator of the Arctic World Archive (AWA), a repository for world memory located in Northern Norway on the Arctic Ocean.
—Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The mega-stars and Göteborg natives Alicia Vikander and Ruben Östlund are major supporters of the festival – Alicia as initiator of the Alicia Vikander Film Lab which supports next gen filmmakers in Góteborg and Ruben as Honorary President.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
As the initiator, the numerology of 2026 is asking us to take a starring role in our lives.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 29 Nov. 2025
His focus was less on scoring and more on orchestrating plays, acting as the primary initiator of the Spurs’ offense.
—Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for initiator
Noun
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After celebrating Thrive Art District’s ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month, brothers Jonathan and Abraham Fish, Thrive ‘s co-founders and developers, said the idea was to bring something different to Fort Lauderdale.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
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Conceived by Scott Sartiano, founder of Manhattan’s private members’ club Zero Bond, the restaurant naturally inherits that sense of insider allure.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There is a small but growing trend of content creators launching congressional campaigns.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The video shows the creator eating eggs, sausage and other buffet items at an unnamed location.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ida Noyes Hall was dedicated in June 1916 by inventor and industrialist LaVerne Noyes, founder of the Aermotor Windmill Company.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Not long after, in 1845, inventor Charles Wheatstone attended a demonstration in London.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
What of the author who never learns to write, the computer programmer who never learns to code, or the artist who never learns to draw?—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
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One of the neatest solutions to the problem of siblings for an author, and one that has special appeal for those who have them in real life, is to avoid them altogether—to write them out of existence.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Her father, Ken, also had a big hand in developing her career.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Kevin MacEgan said his father’s honor, wisdom, kindness and character will serve as his lasting legacy.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Initiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initiator. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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