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Initiate

v. energetic, capable professional

What it means

Meaning 1

To cause a process, action, or useful exchange to begin.

Reach for it when naming deliberate first action that sets something in motion

Any resident may initiate a review by submitting the signed form.

Meaning 2

To formally admit someone into a group or introduce them to its knowledge.

Reach for it when describing ceremonial membership or a first guided encounter

Senior apprentices initiate each new member into the workshop's safety traditions.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
formal
  • Initiate (this word)

Meaning 1: To cause a process, action, or useful exchange to begin.

  • everyday

    begin

    Fits when the subject simply performs the first part

    Careful Begin can be intransitive, while initiate usually acts on a process.

  • everyday

    start

    Fits when plain language is best for the beginning of an action

    Careful Start does not imply the deliberate procedural role of initiate.

  • professional

    launch

    Fits when a public project or product begins with visible momentum

    Careful Launch is too grand for opening a conversation or review.

  • professional

    trigger

    Fits when one event directly sets off another

    Careful Trigger can be accidental and often carries a negative association.

  • formal

    inaugurate

    Fits when a significant institution or period receives a ceremonial beginning

    Careful Inaugurate is excessively ceremonial for routine workflow.

Meaning 2: To formally admit someone into a group or introduce them to its knowledge.

  • warm

    introduce

    Fits when a gentle first encounter with a subject or circle is intended

    Careful Introduce is less formal and need not confer membership.

  • professional

    induct

    Fits when formal admission to a role or organization is exact

    Careful Induct does not include teaching the group's deeper knowledge.

Opposites 3

  • halt
  • conclude
  • exclude

Common phrases 3

  • initiate contact

    The clinic will initiate contact only after receiving consent.

  • initiate proceedings

    A written complaint may initiate proceedings under the new rule.

  • initiate members

    The guild will initiate members in the restored assembly room.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated