initial

initial — adjective

1. happening first, or at the very start of a process, event, or period of time

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

happening first, or at the very start of a process, event, or period of time

Example

The initial test results gave Ignacio hope that his treatment was working.

Her initial worry turned into relief when she heard the good news.

Common collocations
  • initial stage
  • initial phase
  • initial reaction
  • initial response
  • initial results
  • initial plan
  • initial investment
  • initial report
  • initial contact
Synonyms
  • first

    neutral and more common in everyday speech; 'first' can also appear after a verb

  • original

    emphasises the earliest form before changes were made

  • preliminary

    suggests steps taken before the main activity; slightly more formal

  • inaugural

    used for the very first event in a series, especially formal or ceremonial contexts

Antonyms
  • final

    happening at the end, after all other stages

  • last

    coming after all others in time or order

Grammar Patterns

initial + noun

Usage Note

Used only before a noun — you cannot say 'the meeting was initial'. For position after a verb, use 'first' or 'at first' instead.

Common Mistakes

The meeting was initial and short.
The initial meeting was short.
'initial' must go before a noun; it does not work after a linking verb.
This plan is more initial than that one.
This plan came earlier than that one.
'initial' has no comparative form.

initial — noun

initial — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

While all four words refer to something that comes before others, they differ in nuance and context. 'First' is the most general and commonly used word — it simply means before anything else in time or order ('the first page of the book'). 'Initial' is slightly more formal and focuses on the very beginning of a process or series ('the initial stage of the experiment'). 'Original' emphasises the earliest form of something before any changes happened ('the original plan was cheaper'). 'Preliminary' refers to steps taken before the main activity begins ('preliminary test results'). 'Inaugural' is the most formal and is reserved for the very first event in a ceremonial series ('the inaugural speech of the president'). For everyday use, 'first' and 'initial' are your safest choices; choose 'original' when you want to contrast past and present, and 'preliminary' when the main event hasn't happened yet.

first ↗original ↗preliminary ↗inaugural

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • initial public offering (IPO)
  • initial consultation
  • initial assessment

Prepositions

  • at the initial stage
  • in the initial phase

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'initial' comes from Latin 'initialis', meaning 'of the beginning', which itself comes from 'initium' meaning 'a beginning' or 'an entrance'. 'Initium' was formed from the verb 'inire' (to go into or to begin), a combination of 'in-' (into) and 'ire' (to go). The word entered English through French in the 1500s, first as an adjective meaning 'of or at the beginning' and later expanding to noun and verb uses. The noun sense 'first letter of a name' appeared in the early 1600s, and the verb sense 'to mark with initials' followed in the 1800s.