Adjacent Words

initiative definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: serving to set in motion; "the magazine's inaugural issue"; "the initiative phase in the negotiations"; "an initiatory step toward a treaty"; "his first (or maiden) speech in Congress"; "the liner's maiden voyage" [syn: inaugural, initiative, initiatory, first, maiden] n
1: readiness to embark on bold new ventures [syn: enterprise, enterprisingness, initiative, go-ahead]
2: the first of a series of actions [syn: first step, initiative, opening move, opening]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Date: 1795 of or relating to initiation ; introductory, preliminary II. noun Date: 1793 1. an introductory step <took the initiative in attempting to settle the issue> 2. energy or aptitude displayed in initiation of action ; enterprise <showed great initiative> 3. a. the right to initiate legislative action b. a procedure enabling a specified number of voters by petition to propose a law and secure its submission to the electorate or to the legislature for approval — compare referendum 1

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 the ability to initiate things; enterprise (I'm afraid he lacks all initiative). 2 a first step; origination (a peace initiative). 3 the power or right to begin something. 4 Polit. (esp. in Switzerland and some US States) the right of citizens outside the legislature to originate legislation. --adj. beginning; originating. Phrases and idioms: have the initiative esp. Mil. be able to control the enemy's movements. on one's own initiative without being prompted by others. take the initiative (usu. foll. by in + verbal noun) be the first to take action. Etymology: F (as INITIATE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Initiative In*i"ti*a*tive, a. [Cf. F. initiatif.] Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Initiative In*i"ti*a*tive, n. [Cf. F. initiative.] 1. An introductory step or movement; an act which originates or begins. The undeveloped initiatives of good things to come. --I. Taylor. 2. The right or power to introduce a new measure or course of action, as in legislation; as, the initiative in respect to revenue bills is in the House of Representatives.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Initiative In*i"ti*a*tive, n. (Political Science) The right or procedure by which legislation may be introduced or enacted directly by the people, as in the Swiss Confederation and in many of the States of the United States; -- chiefly used with the. The procedure of the initiative is essentially as follows: Upon the filing of a petition signed by a required number or percentage of qualified voters the desired measure must be submitted to a popular vote, and upon receiving the required majority (commonly a majority of those voting on the measure submitted) it becomes a law. In some States of the United States the initiative is only local; in others it is state-wide and includes the making of constitutional amendments.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(initiatives) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. An initiative is an important act or statement that is intended to solve a problem. Government initiatives to help young people have been inadequate... There's talk of a new peace initiative. N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N to-inf 2. In a fight or contest, if you have the initiative, you are in a better position than your opponents to decide what to do next. We have the initiative; we intend to keep it... N-SING: the N 3. If you have initiative, you have the ability to decide what to do next and to do it, without needing other people to tell you what to do. She was disappointed by his lack of initiative. N-UNCOUNT 4. If you take the initiative in a situation, you are the first person to act, and are therefore able to control the situation. We must take the initiative in the struggle to end the war... PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. Inceptive, initiatory. II. n. 1. Beginning, first step. 2. Power to begin, power to originate.

Moby Thesaurus

abecedarian, aboriginal, adventuresomeness, adventurousness, aggression, aggressiveness, alpha, ambition, ambitiousness, antenatal, autochthonous, bang, baptismal, beginning, breaking-in, budding, constitutional referendum, creative, dash, direct initiative, drive, dynamism, elan, elemental, elementary, embryonic, energy, enterprise, enterprisingness, facultative referendum, fetal, fire, first, first blush, first glance, first impression, first inning, first lap, first move, first round, first sight, first stage, first step, force, forcefulness, formative, foundational, fundamental, gambit, gestatory, get-up-and-get, get-up-and-go, getup, ginger, go, go-ahead, go-getting, go-to-itiveness, gumption, hustle, in embryo, in its infancy, in the bud, inaugural, inceptive, inchoate, inchoative, incipient, incunabular, indirect initiative, infant, infantile, initial, initiatory, introductive, introductory, inventive, kick, le premier pas, lead, leadership, mandate, mandatory referendum, nascent, natal, opening move, original, parturient, pep, pepper, piss and vinegar, pizzazz, plebiscite, plebiscitum, poop, postnatal, pregnant, prenatal, primal, primary, prime, primeval, primitive, primitiveness, primitivity, primogenial, procreative, punch, push, pushfulness, pushiness, pushingness, recall, referendum, resourcefulness, rudimental, rudimentary, snap, spirit, spunk, starch, statutory referendum, thrust, up-and-comingness, ur, venturesomeness, venturousness, verve, vigor, vim, warming-up, zing, zip