What does "inaugurate" mean?
To induct (someone) into a dignity or office with a formal ceremony.
Inaugurate
/ɪˈnɔːɡjʊ.ɹeɪt/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To induct (someone) into a dignity or office with a formal ceremony.
- Grammar: inaugurate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: anoint, attempt, author, bear.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, cease, close.
- Usage evidence: A local politician was called in to inaugurate the new restaurant down the street.
How to use "inaugurate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "inaugurate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "inaugurate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "inaugurate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "inaugurate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "inaugurate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "anoint" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "inaugurate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To induct (someone) into a dignity or office with a formal ceremony. transitive
"[…] Cn[aeus] Cornelius Dolabella vvas inaugurat or inſtalled king of the ſacrifices, in ſteed of Marcus Martius, vvho died tvvo yeares before."
- 2 be a precursor of wordnet
- 3 To dedicate (a building, monument, etc.) for public use by a formal ceremony. transitive
"On February 22nd, at an event […], Acciona, a Spanish conglomerate, is due to inaugurate a new power plant a few miles from Las Vegas."
- 4 commence officially wordnet
- 5 To initiate or usher in (something, as a (significant) course of action, development, organization, or period of time) with a formal ceremony or in a ceremonious manner; also (loosely), to begin or commence (something); to start. transitive
"The sun!—he came up to be viewed; / And sky and sea made mighty room / To inaugurate the vision!"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 open ceremoniously or dedicate formally wordnet
- 7 To cause (something) to be auspicious or good-omened; also, to declare or make (something) holy; to consecrate, to sanctify. archaic, rare, transitive
"About Nevvyeers-tide after his return from thence (for thoſe beginnings of years vvere very propitious unto him, as if Kings did chuſe remarkable dayes to inaugurate their favours, that they may appeare acts aſvvell of the Times, as of the VVill) he vvas Created Marqueſs of Buckingham, and made Lord Admirall of England, […]"
Adjective
- 1 Inducted into a dignity or office with a formal ceremony or in a ceremonious manner; inaugurated. not-comparable, obsolete, transitive
"[T]he raising up of Jesus, signifies the new state, to which Christ was inaugurate at His resurrection, and contains under it all the severals of ascension, of sitting at the right hand of power, of the mission of the Holy Ghost, and His powerful intercession for us in heaven ever since, and to the end of the world; […]"
Antonyms
Example
"A local politician was called in to inaugurate the new restaurant down the street."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "inaugurate"?
Common synonyms include: anoint, attempt, author, bear, beget, begin.
How do you use "inaugurate" in a sentence?
A local politician was called in to inaugurate the new restaurant down the street.
How do you pronounce "inaugurate"?
Pronounced /ɪˈnɔːɡjʊ.ɹeɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Either: * borrowed from French inaugurer (“to inaugurate”), from Latin inaugurō (“to take omens from the flight of birds, to divine, practise augury; to approve, consecrate, or inaugurate on the basis of omens; to install”) with common assimilation of French -er with English -ate (verb-forming suffix) * or a Learned borrowing from Latin inaugurātus, perfect passive participle of inaugurō, see etymology at -ate; Further from in- (“against; into; on, upon; to, towards”) + augurō (“to act as an augur, interpret omens, augur; to foretell, predict; to conjecture, guess”), from augur (“soothsayer, augur”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix) (further etymology uncertain; see the entry).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Latin inaugurātus (“having been taken as an omen, divined; having been approved, consecrated, or inaugurated on the basis of omens; installed, having been installed”) (the perfect passive participle of inaugurō (verb): see etymology 1). See -ate (adjective-forming suffix).