inceptive

adjective

Definition of inceptivenext
as in initial
beginning to come into existence only just recently gained an inceptive understanding of the overwhelming vastness of the universe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inceptive Vaccinating our faculty and staff is our first step toward keeping our schools open and safe and will be inceptive to reopening our economy. — Margaret W. Long, chicagotribune.com, 19 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inceptive
  1. initial
  2. nascent
  3. first
  4. elementary
  5. incipient
  6. inchoate
Adjective
  • Court records show that the investigation into the initial allegations was inconclusive.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The progress came roughly a year after the program received funding for its initial engineering, manufacturing and development phase.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • At the time, Truell hadn’t founded a company; but three years later, the venture capitalist persuaded her firm, BoxGroup, to invest in the Gen Z engineering savant’s nascent business.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In a conference call on Thursday after the market close, chief financial officer Armelle Poulou was peppered with questions about designer changes, with analysts expressing fears this would delay the group’s nascent recovery.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of nascent
Adjective
  • That the first foreign policy message after the victory went to Moscow, and through a Russian state outlet, says a good deal about where the new government’s instincts lie.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
  • After a short teaser clip lit up the internet with news of their return, Dead Man’s Bones—the duo of Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields—are officially back with their first new music in 17 years.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of first
Adjective
  • Telra Institute, a public charter school in Charlotte, also ranked in the top 20 among local elementary and middle schools.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In Spain, elementary and secondary schoolteachers began an indefinite strike in Madrid last week to demand better pay and working conditions.
    — Teresa Medrano, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of elementary
Adjective
  • The incipient differences increased after the Civil War intensified hostilities and cultural differences between the North and South.
    — Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • My ‘Deborah Vance Show senior writer’ persona was kind of a rude complainer with an incipient alcohol problem.
    — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of incipient
Adjective
  • When she, like many other comely Vanderpump employees, entangled in each other’s lives and shifts, was asked to be on Vanderpump Rules, Ajir was hesitant about its potential impact on Madix’s inchoate acting career.
    — Anna Peele, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Yet, even these inchoate moments deepen the music’s sense of honest confusion.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2026
Definition of inchoate

Browse Nearby Words

inceptions
inceptive
incertitude
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Cite this Entry

“Inceptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inceptive. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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