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 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 History suggests that wars aimed at reshaping political systems hardly ever unfold as their initiators intend. — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for initiator

Noun

Journey founder/guitarist Neal Schon returned to the stage 10 minutes later and said that Castronovo had been taken to the hospital, per the outlet.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2026
Compared to Springsteen or Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Horwitz and Haugen were largely unfamiliar to the public, giving White more room to make the role his own.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of founder

Noun

Atlantika Films’ Nano Arrieta-creator and producer with Claudia Ruíz — shares the writing room with Popy Blasco, Ibai Ariztegi and Bárbara Zemelman.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Official outlets can quote from posts on fake accounts whose creators masquerade as ordinary members of the public, making a fringe claim seem normal.

— RENÉE DIRESTA, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of creator

Noun

The photos also provide a peek at John Cadbury (Pearce Quigley), Elizabeth’s mother, Dorothy (Joanna Scanlan), and fellow inventor, Joseph Rowntree (Mathew Baynton).

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
The five original Nobel Prizes were created under the terms of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel’s will and have been awarded since 1901, with only limited interruptions, chiefly during World War I and World War II.

— Reuters, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of inventor

Noun

That figure is the first half of the show’s title, the activist, author, and playwright Larry Kramer, who co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP and was instrumental in bringing the AIDS crisis to public attention.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Steinbeck’s novel is largely centered around the Hamiltons (who emigrate from Ireland to the author’s beloved Salinas Valley) and the Trasks (who move to California from the East Coast).

— Max Gao, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of author

Noun

Ellison clinched the deal by sweetening the offer price and bringing his father, Larry Ellison, in to personally guarantee funding.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Gyllenhaal’s father, Stephen Gyllenhaal, is a director and her mother, Naomi Foner, a screenwriter.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of father

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“Initiator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/initiator. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of initiator

noun

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