SKIP TO CONTENT

initial

/ɪˈnɪʃəl/

/ɪˈnɪʃəl/

Other forms: initials; initialed; initialled; initialing; initialling

The first letter of your name is your initial. The first thing you say to someone is your initial greeting. Initial is something that occurs first or at the beginning.

If someone asks you to initial a form, they're asking you to sign by writing your initials on it. If your name is Inna Instant, you would write I.I., and you'd probably write it really quick! The first draft of a paper might be called your initial pass at getting your ideas down. If you say that these are your initial ideas, it implies that you will be coming up with more.

Definitions of initial
  1. adjective
    occurring at the beginning
    “took the initial step toward reconciliation”
    Synonyms:
    first
    preceding all others in time or space or degree
  2. noun
    the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
    “he refused to put the initials FRS after his name”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    alphabetic character, letter, letter of the alphabet
    the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech
  3. verb
    mark with one's initials
    see moresee less
    type of:
    sign
    be engaged by a written agreement
Pronunciation
US

/ɪˈnɪʃəl/

UK

/ɪˈnɪʃəl/

Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

A paragraph of text

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘initial'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Look up initial for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer