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

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

peace initiative
an initial proposal or action intended to begin negotiations toward peace

Noun + noun

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

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# 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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