inauguration
noun
Simple meaning
The formal beginning, initiation, or entry into service of any movement, enterprise, building.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnawgyerayshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnɔɡjɚˈeɪʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The formal beginning, initiation, or entry into service of any movement, enterprise, building, event, etc.
The act of inaugurating, or inducting into office with solemnity; investiture by appropriate ceremonies.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The formal beginning, initiation, or entry into service of any movement, enterprise, building, event, etc.
Used this way, inauguration is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use inauguration
- “He opposed the inauguration of fluoridation.”noun
- “The new president obviously enjoyed his inauguration.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An address delivered at an inaugural ceremony (especially by a United States president).
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The day designated for inauguration of the United States President.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.