INITIATOR Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

initiator

noun

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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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 initiator According to Bracewell, the initiators of such a hypothetical contact scenario might choose to reveal their presence by intercepting and re-transmitting radio signals rather than engaging in direct communication. — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2026 The Mavericks — not exactly bursting at the seams with other high-level offensive initiators — must be careful not to wear him down. — Doug Haller, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 Reaching out to express gratitude, offer help, or simply listen is consistently rated as more rewarding by the recipient than the initiator expects. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Repurposing a prototype One of the scientists, and the initiator of the record-creating project, was Pierre Léna. — Dhananjay Khadilkar, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026 The researchers used liquid metal particles (LMPs) as initiators for polymerization, the chemical process used to form the hydrogel network. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026 His top recommendation for the latter was Pitzock, the restaurant run by his uncle Oskar Messner, one of the initiators of the Slow Food movement in the valley and among the most knowledgeable sources in the region on local ingredients and tradition. — Jenn Rice, Travel + Leisure, 7 May 2026 Los Angeles also employed Luke Kennard as a ballhandler and initiator, and guard Marcus Smart is back after missing nearly three weeks with a right ankle injury. — ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026 Peterson is breathtakingly talented as a scorer and on-ball initiator, but health concerns have marred an otherwise impressive freshman season. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for initiator

Noun

Ideas my co-founder Fredrik and I used to dream up in a taxi and ship within a week now needed to be cross-checked by dozens of people across half as many departments.

— Daniel Kjellén, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Why Airbnb’s founder became its chief recruiter Chesky thinks he was born a good founder.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of founder

Noun

The two saw that media companies were overly reliant on social media for distribution, and that profits were flowing to the likes of Facebook rather than to the creators of content.

— Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Series creator Quinn Shephard made the very good movie Not Okay and has a strong grasp of teenage angst, so The Body seems pretty promising.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of creator

Noun

Strong intellectual property protections give authors and inventors the ability to turn their ideas into assets, their assets into competitive businesses, and their businesses into new jobs.

— Coke Morgan Stewart, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026
Earlier inventors explored similar ideas, but Bell’s work made the telephone a practical technology.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of inventor

Noun

The model-cum-founder and chief executive officer of the Furtuna Skin beauty brand, olive oil sommelier and children’s book author shares her Wildly Potent Kitchen recipes using the oil sourced from her family estate in Sicily.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026
Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz and Bad Blood author John Carreyrou have both weighed in, and Fortune has questioned whether her new persona distracts from the real story.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of author

Noun

My 80-year-old mother and 87-year-old father were singing Hindu prayers to celebrate one of the most important holidays of our faith.

— Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Lozano Garita is the father of her two youngest children, relatives said.

— Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of father

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“Initiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initiator. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of initiator

noun

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