Meaning & use
initial
Happening at the beginning of a process; first in a series of events or stages.
See it in a sentence
Our initial reaction to the plan was skepticism, but it grew on us over time.
The initial results of the trial looked promising, though further testing was needed.
A note on using this word
Initial modifies nouns to mark the start of something, while 'initially' is the adverb form used to describe how an event unfolded early on.
Words with a similar meaning
firstpreliminary
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. noun
The first letter of a name or word, especially used to represent someone's full name.
He signed the form with just his initials, J.R., instead of writing his full name.
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