as in founder
a person who establishes a whole new field of endeavor
as the initiator of printing from movable type, Gutenberg revolutionized people's access to written language
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Recent Examples of initiator
PiqlFilm is also the initiator of the Arctic World Archive (AWA), a repository for world memory located in Northern Norway on the Arctic Ocean.
—
Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The mega-stars and Göteborg natives Alicia Vikander and Ruben Östlund are major supporters of the festival – Alicia as initiator of the Alicia Vikander Film Lab which supports next gen filmmakers in Góteborg and Ruben as Honorary President.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
The Blazers’ injuries have forced Avdija to be the lead initiator on this team, and he’s taken to that role really well.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
As the initiator, the numerology of 2026 is asking us to take a starring role in our lives.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 29 Nov. 2025
His focus was less on scoring and more on orchestrating plays, acting as the primary initiator of the Spurs’ offense.
—Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Plenty of brands already offer or are transitioning to TPO-free formulas that contain different photoinitiators (a chemical that makes gel polishes cure under a lamp instead of air-drying like regular polish) such as TPO-L, BAPO, or other resin initiators.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
Wheeler was the initiator, Marcus Smith said Tuesday.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
Among the customers of our online prenup platform, First, roughly 50% of our prenup initiators are women.
—Libby Leffler, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The mega-stars and Göteborg natives Alicia Vikander and Ruben Östlund are major supporters of the festival – Alicia as initiator of the Alicia Vikander Film Lab which supports next gen filmmakers in Góteborg and Ruben as Honorary President.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
The Blazers’ injuries have forced Avdija to be the lead initiator on this team, and he’s taken to that role really well.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
As the initiator, the numerology of 2026 is asking us to take a starring role in our lives.
—Christina Pérez, Vogue, 29 Nov. 2025
His focus was less on scoring and more on orchestrating plays, acting as the primary initiator of the Spurs’ offense.
—Evan Dammarell, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Plenty of brands already offer or are transitioning to TPO-free formulas that contain different photoinitiators (a chemical that makes gel polishes cure under a lamp instead of air-drying like regular polish) such as TPO-L, BAPO, or other resin initiators.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025
Wheeler was the initiator, Marcus Smith said Tuesday.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
Among the customers of our online prenup platform, First, roughly 50% of our prenup initiators are women.
—Libby Leffler, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for initiator
Noun
-
The airspace closure is expected to be extremely disruptive for El Paso, a major industrial hub, Robert Moore, the founder and CEO of news site El Paso Matters, told CNN.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The creator economy celebrates audiences as fandoms who co-create and build communities.—
Mina Haque,
Fortune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The program includes interviews from the show's creators, participants and judges, according to Netflix.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The first, the sewing machine, was created by a selfish and ambitious inventor who wanted all the credit and was willing to fight a war for it.—
Luis Gallo,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The rescue effort attracted diving experts from all over the world and even the attention of billionaire inventor Elon Musk, who dispatched his own engineering team that brought along a tiny submersible.—
Emilee Coblentz,
Outside,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Annemarie and Michael Greipel are also credited as co-authors.—
Amanda Hancock,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The authors that explore the vastness of the heart often serve as our guides.—
Hannah Benson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Their accounts gave me shivers of recognition—their experiences echoed my father’s stories.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The two become inseparable, to the dismay of Cathy’s paid companion Nelly (Vi Nguyen), and only become closer after Heathcliff takes a beating on Cathy’s behalf from her alcoholic father (Martin Clunes) for missing his birthday celebration.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Initiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initiator. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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