inception

[ in-sep-shuhn ]

noun

1. beginning; start; commencement.

   Synonyms: conception, root, source, outset, origin

2. British.
   1. the act of graduating or earning a university degree, usually a master's or doctor's degree, especially at Cambridge University.
   2. the graduation ceremony; commencement.
3. (in science fiction) the act of instilling an idea into someone's mind by entering their dreams.

inception

/ ɪnˈsɛpʃən /

noun

1. the beginning, as of a project or undertaking

Word History and Origins

Origin of inception¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English incepcion, from Latin inceptiōn- (stem of inceptiō ), equivalent to incept(us) “begun” ( incept ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Crooked told Digiday in late 2019 that it had accumulated almost 900 million downloads since its inception.

From Digiday

Casa Frida since its inception has welcomed 74 people who are mainly between 18 and 35-years-old.

From Washington Blade

From its inception with Andrew Jackson in the 1820s, the Democratic Party had championed small government and local control.

From Washington Post

Since its inception, Gab has welcomed deplatformed social media users, generally attracting those on the far right.

From Washington Post

This development isn’t entirely unexpected, given that most of Haven’s top talent, including its CEO—doctor and high-profile healthcare researcher Atul Gawande, who led the initiative from its inception—had stepped down in the last several months.

From Quartz

And yet our country has redefined citizenship in some extraordinary ways since its inception.

From The Daily Beast

And he has been involved in the Mind and Life Institute, the sponsor of the ISCS conference, from its inception.

From The Daily Beast

Since its inception, Hamas has had close ties with Iran, but relations soured when civil war broke out in Syria.

From The Daily Beast

With the incredible surge in popularity of online dating since its inception, countless niche communities have popped up.

From The Daily Beast

As Gordon explained: “MPAC has had a significant impact on the development of this project from its inception.”

From The Daily Beast

As Scattergood well knew, the feud had its inception in religion as religion is practiced in that community.

From Project Gutenberg

In its inception it was a mere attempt to write pleasing, popular verse of a better kind in the dialect of the fireside.

From Project Gutenberg

The Commissariat alone was badly managed from its very inception.

From Project Gutenberg

Between them they seem to have formed the inception of what became the famous Taeping rebellion.

From Project Gutenberg

There are primarily three additional features that characterize political society, especially at its inception.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• initiation
• outset