ini·tial
i-ˈni-shəl 
1
: of or relating to the beginning : incipient
his initial reaction
2
: placed at the beginning : first
the initial word of the verse
initialed or initialled; initialing or initialling
i-ˈni-sh(ə-)liŋ
1
: to affix an initial to
2
: to authenticate or give preliminary approval to by affixing the initials of an authorizing representative
Examples of initial in a Sentence
Adjective
you've resolved my initial complaint, but now I have a new question
Noun
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's middle initial stood for “Delano.”
She put her initials on each page of the contract.
The initials F.D.R. stood for “Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”
Verb
She initialed each page of the contract.
Recent Examples on the Web
Karan Alang, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Scientists defined daytime napping as sleeping between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
After the initial study, researchers kept tabs on the participants for eight years and discovered that 5,189 (6.0%) of them died during that time period.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The guest and a friend, identified only by the initials J.E. and L.T., were sharing a room at the downtown Fort Worth hotel near the Convention Center for a work event in March 2024, according to the lawsuit.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2025
Reuters, CNN Money, 20 June 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
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Adjective
Phishing Email Detection And Response Phishing remains the most common initial attack vector.
—Karan Alang, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Scientists defined daytime napping as sleeping between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
After the initial study, researchers kept tabs on the participants for eight years and discovered that 5,189 (6.0%) of them died during that time period.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
Noun
In court documents, his man is only identified by initials.
—Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
The guest and a friend, identified only by the initials J.E. and L.T., were sharing a room at the downtown Fort Worth hotel near the Convention Center for a work event in March 2024, according to the lawsuit.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2025
Verb
The two countries and the United States said on Wednesday that their technical teams initialed a draft peace agreement that is expected to be signed next week.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 20 June 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
Cite this Entry
“Initial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initial. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
initial
1 of 3 adjective
ini·tial
in-ˈish-əl
1
: of, relating to, or existing at the beginning : earliest
initial stages of a disease
2
: placed or standing at the beginning : first
the initial letter of a word
initial
2 of 3 noun1
: a first letter of a name
2
: a large letter beginning a text or paragraph
initial
3 of 3 verb
initialed or initialled; initialing or initialling
-ˈish-(ə-)liŋ
: to mark with initials or an initial
initial a handkerchief
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