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
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
The Blazers’ injuries have forced Avdija to be the lead initiator on this team, and he’s taken to that role really well.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 15 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
Plenty of brands already offer or are transitioning to TPO-free formulas that contain different photoinitiators (a chemical that makes gel polishes cure under a lamp instead of air-drying like regular polish) such as TPO-L, BAPO, or other resin initiators.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
Wheeler was the initiator, Marcus Smith said Tuesday.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
Among the customers of our online prenup platform, First, roughly 50% of our prenup initiators are women.
—Libby Leffler, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
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
The Blazers’ injuries have forced Avdija to be the lead initiator on this team, and he’s taken to that role really well.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 15 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
Plenty of brands already offer or are transitioning to TPO-free formulas that contain different photoinitiators (a chemical that makes gel polishes cure under a lamp instead of air-drying like regular polish) such as TPO-L, BAPO, or other resin initiators.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
Wheeler was the initiator, Marcus Smith said Tuesday.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
Among the customers of our online prenup platform, First, roughly 50% of our prenup initiators are women.
—Libby Leffler, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for initiator
Noun
-
Over 12,000 founders, investors, and business leaders descending on Stockholm’s Strawberry Arena.—
Melinda Elmborg,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Frank Gannett, the founder of the Gannett newspaper chain, addressed the overflowing audience.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Vacuum Bags for Travel TikTok creators swear by vacuum-seal bags for squeezing more clothing into a carry-on.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Jan. 2026
-
That’s the pithy one-liner that menswear creator Elliot Duprey’s followers will sometimes parrot back to him on the streets of New York, after recognizing him from his videos.—
Ashley Ogawa Clarke,
Vogue,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Once upon a time, a humanoid artificial entity left unfinished by his deceased inventor fell in love.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Jan. 2026
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At the same time, the United States must defend itself against intellectual property theft, which costs American inventors $225 billion annually.—
Aaron Seibert,
Boston Herald,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The finale introduced a massive twist in Thalia's origin story from author Rick Riordan's original book series — so much so that Percy (and the rest of world) is right to worry about her return.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Jan. 2026
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The Dear Future Mama author has opened up about parenting on several occasions, even sharing her desire to one day have a daughter.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There’s an absent father and a clueless, neglectful mother but the five Gilbert children — Lydia, Hugo, Annabel, Jeremy and Rosalind — are essentially raising themselves in an English country house of secret passages and worrying infestations.—
Chris Hewitt,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
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Then in the afternoon, 5-year-old Liam Ramos was taken with his father while in their driveway after just arriving home from his preschool classroom.—
Reg Chapman,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Initiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initiator. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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