Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense initials, present participle initialling, past tense, past participle initialledregional note: in AM, use initialing, initialed
1. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You use initial to describe something that happens at the beginning of a process.
The initial reaction has been excellent.
The aim of this initial meeting is to clarify the issues.
Synonyms: opening, first, early, earliest More Synonyms of initial
2. countable noun [usually plural, oft poss NOUN]
Initials are the capital letters which begin each word of a name. For example, if your full name is Michael Dennis Stocks, your initials will be M.D.S.
...a silver Porsche car with her initials JB on the side.
3. verb
If someone initials an official document, they write their initials on it, for example to show that they have seen it or that they accept or agree with it.
Would you mind initialing this voucher? [VERB noun]
The agreement was initialled in June. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: sign, endorse, subscribe, autograph More Synonyms of initial
initial in British English
(ɪˈnɪʃəl)
adjective
1.
of, at, or concerning the beginning
noun
2.
the first letter of a word, esp a person's name
3. printing
a large sometimes highly decorated letter set at the beginning of a chapter or work
4. botany
a cell from which tissues and organs develop by division and differentiation; a meristematic cell
verbWord forms: -tials, -tialling, -tialledWord forms: US-tials, -tialing or -tialed
5. (transitive)
to sign with one's initials, esp to indicate approval; endorse
Derived forms
initialer (inˈitialer) or initialler (inˈitialler)
noun
initially (inˈitially)
adverb
Word origin
C16: from Latin initiālis of the beginning, from initium beginning, literally: an entering upon, from inīre to go in, from in-2 + īre to go
initial in American English
(ɪˈnɪʃəl)
adjective
1.
having to do with, indicating, or occurring at the beginning
the initial stage of a disease, the initial letter of a word
noun
2.
a capital, or uppercase, letter
; specif.,
a.
an extra-large capital letter at the start of a printed paragraph, chapter, etc.
b.
the first letter of a name
3. Biology
a primordial cell that determines the basic pattern of derived tissues; specif., a meristematic cell
verb transitiveWord forms: inˈitialed or inˈitialled, inˈitialing or inˈitialling
4.
to mark or sign with an initial or initials
Word origin
< Fr or L: Fr < L initialis < initium, a beginning < inire, to go into, enter upon, begin < in-, into, in + ire, to go < IE base *ei- > Goth iddja
Examples of 'initial' in a sentence
initial
The initial public offering was expected to take place in the next few months.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
And he insisted the initial investment can pay huge long-term dividends.
The Sun (2016)
The initial public offering is expected to value the business at 10 million.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Not quite, but the initial signs are promising.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
What was your initial reaction?
The Sun (2016)
That's not quite true, but the initial signs are promising.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If your initial reaction is that there is no place for glitch in your wardrobe, I understand.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He has said that his initial reaction was disappointment.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Which writers used only the initial of their middle name?
The Times Literary Supplement (2008)
His initial years were full of ambition.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The building has bricks bearing his name and initials.
The Sun (2009)
Yet the initial signs were not at all promising.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At this point it decided to make an initial public offering of stock.
Charles A. D'Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)
He writes the initial greeting in his own hand and signs the letters.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The failure to produce the documents at the initial disclosure stage was a significant breach.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In some cases this reflects the limited nature of the initial investment.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
This was reduced to their first initials.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Use the initial clues in the code table to work out the rest of the code.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But can you get his name from his initials.
The Sun (2013)
The initial signs are that last year was little better.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
An initial public offering could also be on the cards in the long term.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The proposition that all pilots must first undergo initial officer training is based on dogma.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This was far from their initial use.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
The initial signs are that it will not.
Stewart Lamont WHEN SCOTLAND RULED THE WORLD: The Story of the Golden Age of Genius, Creativityand Exploration (2002)
Investors will get something back but it is likely to be well below that of their initial investment.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The retail group has been entertaining offers and at the same time preparing for a potential initial public offering.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The initial public reaction was lukewarm.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
The coming war took most Europeans by surprise and their initial reaction was disbelief and shock.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Two consortiums are understood to be submitting initial documents this month, although final bids will not be submitted until next year.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Many of us with advanced degrees see no need for books by or for people who don't have initials after their names.
Christianity Today (2000)
Things like, you can get true love if you take a leaf of a certain plant and write their initials on it under a full moon.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
initial
British English: initial /ɪˈnɪʃəl/ ADJECTIVE
You use initial to describe something that happens at the beginning of a process.
The initial reaction has been excellent.
American English: initial
Arabic: إِبْتِدَائِيٌّ
Brazilian Portuguese: inicial
Chinese: 最初的
Croatian: početni
Czech: počáteční
Danish: første
Dutch: eerste
European Spanish: inicial
Finnish: alku-
French: initial
German: anfänglich
Greek: αρχικός
Italian: iniziale
Japanese: 最初の
Korean: 초기의
Norwegian: innledende
Polish: wstępny
European Portuguese: inicial
Romanian: inițial
Russian: начальный
Latin American Spanish: inicial
Swedish: inledande
Thai: เบื้องต้น
Turkish: başlangıç ilk
Ukrainian: початковий
Vietnamese: ban đầu
British English: initial /ɪˈnɪʃəl/ VERB
If someone initials an official document, they write their initials on it, for example to show that they have seen it or that they accept or agree with it.