Initiation

//ɪˌnɪʃ.iˈeɪ.ʃən// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced. countable, uncountable

    "initiation into a society"

  2. 2
    an act that sets in motion some course of events wordnet
  3. 3
    The form or ceremony by which a person is introduced into any society; mode of entrance into an organized body; especially, the rite of admission into a secret society or order. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new wordnet
  5. 5
    The first step of transcription or of transduction. countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    wisdom as evidenced by the possession of knowledge wordnet
  2. 7
    a formal entry into an organization or position or office wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
beginningabecedariumabecedaryacceptanceadmissionadmittance

Example

More examples

"The aim of jazz is the mechanical reproduction of a regressive moment, a castration symbolism. 'Give up your masculinity, let yourself be castrated,' the eunuchlike sound of the jazz band both mocks and proclaims, 'and you will be rewarded, accepted into a fraternity which shares the mystery of impotence with you, a mystery revealed at the moment of the initiation rite."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French initiation, from Latin initiātiō. Morphologically initiate + -ion.

Related phrases

clutch initiationinitiation ceremonyinitiation codonself-initiationacceptance ritualadmittance ceremonysecret society

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.