initiate

noun

A new member of an organization.

One who has been through a ceremony of initiation.

One who is oriented in and familiar with a topic or subject; especially, one who is an expert in it.

verb

(transitive) To begin; to start.

(transitive) To instruct in the rudiments or principles; to introduce.

(transitive) To confer membership on; especially, to admit to a secret order with mysterious rites or ceremonies.

(intransitive) To do the first act; to perform the first rite; to take the initiative.

adjective

(obsolete) Begun, commenced, introduced to or in the rudiments (of), newly admitted.

(obsolete) Unpracticed, untried, new.

Roots

eoit- · Latin · go

Synonyms for initiate

startv inductv originatev commencev beginv establishv instigatev broachv inauguratev activatev launchv

Synonyms & related words for initiate

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of initiate — including start, induct, originate, commence, begin, establish. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to initiate

Explore words related to initiate — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include initiation, initiatory, undertake, begun, engage, initiator, began, undertook. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for initiate

Common synonyms for initiate include start, induct, originate, commence, begin, establish, instigate, broach — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does initiate come from?

The word initiate breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root it-, from Latin eo (“go”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.