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
Synonyms
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
Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Transcription comes to mind, but so do medical records summarization and initial intake.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
And 29% of homes sold above their initial list price, up from 28% in March last year, Yun said.
—Alex Veiga, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
After further development from its initial run, Taub’s female-centric creation has now rightfully earned its place.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Opened in 1977, Westfield UTC has undergone a nearly $1 billion transformation since 2012, when an initial redevelopment phase added new building facades, a fancier food court and an upscale movie theater.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office conducted basic DNA testing on the bone, officials said, although the initial tests did not yield any clues as to whom the remains may have belonged.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
Those didn’t come until 1994, according to the association, three years after its members drew up initial guidelines on the issue.
—Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
If initial plans take form, the property’s size could swell from roughly 322,000 square feet to about 500,000 square feet.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
The nosediving share price of the company — which uses the stock ticker DJT, for Trump’s initials — fell to its lowest level since Trump Media went public last week and shaved more than a fifth of its market value in a single day.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Why is Truth Social’s ticker DJT? Research shows that familiar names, such as a former president’s initials, can help a company’s stock performance.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Bracha Initial Pendant Necklace $50 Nordstrom The ideal layering piece comes with a subtle nod to her bundle of joy, as it comes stamped with baby’s initial.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 26 Mar. 2024
Trump bestowed the same initials on his Atlantic City casino business, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, back when that company went public in 1995.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
In the affidavit and other court records, she was identified as A.R., which were her initials from both of her marriages.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Trump’s company hopes to trade under the ticker symbol DJT, the former president’s initials.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Select your profile picture or initials in the upper-right corner of the screen.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Dan Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
In other words, a $7,500 tax credit was meaningless to initial Tesla buyers, but the quality of the car wasn’t.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
This surgeon worked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham at the same time as Bramhall but before the initialing incidents.
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
The books draw heavily on Bramhall’s medical knowledge, but the one based on the initialing incident remains unpublished; its title is Letterman.
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
Simply use a zester to initial a lime wedge for each guest's drink.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2022
According to Shah, she was told to initial next to each relevant statement as Bastos read them aloud.
—Gabrielle Chung, PEOPLE.com, 16 June 2021
Leaders of the three countries met in 1992 in San Antonio, Texas, to initial the agreement.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 4 June 2021
Value of those tools was initially set at around $500 total and police noted that they had been initialed by the owner.
—Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 15 Apr. 2020
Adjective
In a previous batch of about 96 potential jurors, at least 50 were excused based on their responses to this initial question.
– Aysha Bagchi
New large group of potential jurors brought in
A new group of dozens of potential jurors has been brought in to start their jury selection process.
—Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Transcription comes to mind, but so do medical records summarization and initial intake.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
And 29% of homes sold above their initial list price, up from 28% in March last year, Yun said.
—Alex Veiga, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
After further development from its initial run, Taub’s female-centric creation has now rightfully earned its place.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Opened in 1977, Westfield UTC has undergone a nearly $1 billion transformation since 2012, when an initial redevelopment phase added new building facades, a fancier food court and an upscale movie theater.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office conducted basic DNA testing on the bone, officials said, although the initial tests did not yield any clues as to whom the remains may have belonged.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
Those didn’t come until 1994, according to the association, three years after its members drew up initial guidelines on the issue.
—Júlia Ledur, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
If initial plans take form, the property’s size could swell from roughly 322,000 square feet to about 500,000 square feet.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Trump Media & Technology Group — which trades under the ticker DJT, his initials — tumbled 18.4% in Monday trading, a drop that follows last week's 21% plunge.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
The nosediving share price of the company — which uses the stock ticker DJT, for Trump’s initials — fell to its lowest level since Trump Media went public last week and shaved more than a fifth of its market value in a single day.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Why is Truth Social’s ticker DJT? Research shows that familiar names, such as a former president’s initials, can help a company’s stock performance.
—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
Bracha Initial Pendant Necklace $50 Nordstrom The ideal layering piece comes with a subtle nod to her bundle of joy, as it comes stamped with baby’s initial.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 26 Mar. 2024
Trump bestowed the same initials on his Atlantic City casino business, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, back when that company went public in 1995.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
In the affidavit and other court records, she was identified as A.R., which were her initials from both of her marriages.
—Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
Trump’s company hopes to trade under the ticker symbol DJT, the former president’s initials.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024
Select your profile picture or initials in the upper-right corner of the screen.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
This consent can be included in the employment contract so long as the provision is separately initialed.
—Dan Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
In other words, a $7,500 tax credit was meaningless to initial Tesla buyers, but the quality of the car wasn’t.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
This surgeon worked at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham at the same time as Bramhall but before the initialing incidents.
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
The books draw heavily on Bramhall’s medical knowledge, but the one based on the initialing incident remains unpublished; its title is Letterman.
—Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 12 Sep. 2022
Simply use a zester to initial a lime wedge for each guest's drink.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2022
According to Shah, she was told to initial next to each relevant statement as Bastos read them aloud.
—Gabrielle Chung, PEOPLE.com, 16 June 2021
Leaders of the three countries met in 1992 in San Antonio, Texas, to initial the agreement.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 4 June 2021
Value of those tools was initially set at around $500 total and police noted that they had been initialed by the owner.
—Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 15 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'initial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near initial
Cite this Entry
“Initial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initial. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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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