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
As the system doesn’t require kick-starting with chemical initiators, it could eventually be integrated into large-scale industrial recycling plants.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for initiator
Noun
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Ali Grace, founder and CEO of her namesake denim label, for example, said her business has been largely insulated, thanks in part to a model that sidesteps many of the pressures facing traditional supply chains.—
Andre Claudio,
Footwear News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, led a prior $100-million funding round in 2022.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
State officials have a chance to signal that California is serious about keeping job creators here, not driving them out.—
Tom Manzo,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Robbie Saenz de Viteri, the project’s co-creator, came into the visitor center, wheeling a library cart laden with a blinking soundboard.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Back has long been an influential figure in crypto circles, and is also famous as the inventor of Hashcash, a form of digital money that predates Bitcoin.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Unruly salt-and-pepper hair in a long quaff, round glasses and broad smile give James Ortiz the look of a whimsical inventor, the kind that hides away in his workshop crafting extraordinary artifacts.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Taylor is among authors such as Gregg Hurwitz and Mark Greaney who have reinvented the thriller genre.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
-
But author and television producer Eli Frankel has some ideas.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some had Robert Carlson's signature, but many appeared to be signed by his father.—
Carol Thompson,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Set in the last year of World War II on the remote North Sea island of Amrum, the story is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck), whose zealot mother (Laura Tonke) is raising him as a good Nazi while his father fights in the war.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Initiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initiator. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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