Word
Definitions
01first or beginning
B1 · Intermediate General-service
adj. happening at the very beginning of a process or situation.
adj. occurring at the beginning; relating to the first stage of a process.
“My initial reaction to the news was surprise, but then I felt happy.”
“The initial phase of the project focused on gathering data before any strategic decisions were made by the board.”
02first letter of a name
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. the first letter of a person's name.
n. the first letter of a word or a name, typically used in the plural to refer to the first letters of all a person's names.
Español:iniciales
“He has his initials, J.B., sewn onto his travel bag.”
“The silver locket was engraved with the initials of her great-grandmother, though the metal had tarnished over the decades.”
Synonyms
03to sign with initials
B2 · Upper Intermediate Formal
v. to write the first letters of your name on a document to show you agree.
v. to mark or sign a document with one's initials, often as a preliminary or informal signature. Transitive use requiring a direct object.
“Please initial each page of the contract at the bottom.”
“The legal assistant requested that the client initial every amendment to ensure the changes were officially acknowledged before filing.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “initial” in context.
Adjective
01. initial aim
“Our initial aim was to finish the project by June, but we needed more time.”
adj + noun
02. initial analysis
“The initial analysis of the data suggests that the experiment was a success.”
adj + noun
03. initial assessment
“The doctor's initial assessment was that the injury was not serious.”
adj + noun
04. initial condition
“The scientists recorded the initial condition of the soil before the test.”
adj + noun
05. initial contact
“We made initial contact with the client via email last week.”
adj + noun
06. initial finding
“The initial finding of the study was published in a local journal.”
adj + noun
07. initial public
08. initial loan
09. initial quake
10. initial offer
11. initial reports
12. concurrent initial
Real-World Examples
“The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks.” “On Saturday, NSW police said in a statement that initial inquiries indicated Hooper reached the summit of Bonnum Pic about mid-morning on Wednesday, but had made no further contact since then.” “The quake was felt across much of Flores island with initial reports indicating heavy damage.” “She added: "The initial lump that I felt, wasn't a 'lump' as such; rather a kind of hard spot.” Etymology
From Middle French initial or directly from its Latin etymon initiālis (“of the beginning, incipient, initial”), from initium (“a going in, entrance, beginning”), from inire (“to go in, enter upon, begin”), from in (“in”) + ire (“to go”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/initial
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0