initiative

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #7585

Meanings

1

noun
A new plan or action started to solve a problem or improve something.

The city launched a new initiative to reduce traffic.
2

noun
The ability to decide and act on your own without being told.

She showed great initiative by solving the problem herself.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a new plan or action... first step

2 noun · the ability to decide and... enterprise

Word family

Forms initiatives

Derived forms counterinitiativeinitiatively

Related forms initialinitialisminitializationinitialize initiate initiation

Etymology

From French initiative, from Medieval Latin *initiativus (“serving to initiate”), from Late Latin initiare (“to begin, to initiate”), from Latin initium (“beginning”), from ineo (“enter, begin”). By surface analysis, initiate + -ive.

initiative French *initiativus la-med initio la-lat initium Latin

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# initiative

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 7585

## Meanings
1. A new plan or action started to solve a problem or improve something.
2. The ability to decide and act on your own without being told.

## Examples
- The city launched a new initiative to reduce traffic.
- She showed great initiative by solving the problem herself.

## Derived Forms
- counterinitiative
- initiatively

## Related Forms
- initial
- initialism
- initialization
- initialize
- initiate
- initiation

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: initiative
- Root: *initiativus
- Root: initio
- Root: initium

## Etymology
From French initiative, from Medieval Latin *initiativus (“serving to initiate”), from Late Latin initiare (“to begin, to initiate”), from Latin initium (“beginning”), from ineo (“enter, begin”). By surface analysis, initiate + -ive.

## AI Etymology
Initiative comes from French initiative, from Medieval Latin *initiativus (“serving to initiate”), from Late Latin initiare (“to begin, to initiate”), from Latin initium (“beginning”), from ineo (“enter, begin”). By surface analysis, initiate + -ive. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. The historical line also includes initio.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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initiative

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