initial

American  

[ih-nish-uhl] / ɪˈnɪʃ əl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring at the beginning; first.

   the initial step in a process.

2. Phonetics. occurring at the beginning of a word or syllable, as the (k) sound of kite, chasm, or quay.

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noun

1. an initial letter, as of a word.

2. the first letter of a proper name.

3. a letter of extra size or an ornamental character used at the beginning of a chapter or other division of a book, manuscript, or the like.

verb (used with object)

initialed, initialing, initialled, initialling

1. to mark or sign with an initial or the initials of one's name, especially as a token of preliminary or informal approval.

initial British  

/ ɪˈnɪʃəl /

adjective

1. of, at, or concerning the beginning

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noun

1. the first letter of a word, esp a person's name

2. printing a large sometimes highly decorated letter set at the beginning of a chapter or work

3. botany a cell from which tissues and organs develop by division and differentiation; a meristematic cell

verb

1. (tr) to sign with one's initials, esp to indicate approval; endorse

Other Word Forms

• initialer noun
• initially adverb
• preinitial verb (used with object)
• subinitial verb (used with object)
• uninitialed adjective

Etymology

Origin of initial

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin initiālis, equivalent to initi(um) “beginning” ( init-, noun derivative of inīre “to enter, begin”; in- in- ² + īre “to go”; cf. comes) + -ium -ium ) + -alis -al ¹

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

Iranian officials have acknowledged that he was injured in the initial strikes but have offered few details.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

X-Energy’s shares priced at $23, exceeding the initial target range of $16 to $19 due to strong investor interest.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Slate covered this case in March, when Boasberg took the rare step of quashing the initial subpoenas brought by Pirro and her team.

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

Renting instead of buying your initial residence gives you the freedom to determine what actually matters to you instead of what you thought would matter — and evaluate whether the neighborhood is a good fit.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

“Look, Omi, we made you an O! For your initial, and also a literal Circle of Friendship! Which was Mila’s idea,” she added, catching my eye.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

Related Words

• basic
• introductory
• original