initiative
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The first step or a new plan that has been started
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnishuhtivSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈnɪʃətɪv
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
A beginning; a first move.
The ability to act first or on one's own.
Readiness to embark on bold new ventures
A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.
adjective
us
In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A beginning; a first move.
Used this way, initiative 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 initiative
- “He showed great initiative by starting the new program himself.”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.
A person who initiates a course of action.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Opening move in negotiating a peace treaty.
A clandestine group of leftist extremists who oppose Italy's labor policies and foreign policy.
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What Does It Mean Here?
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.