in·i·tia·tive

(ĭ-nĭsh′ə-tĭv)

1. The power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.

2. A beginning or introductory step; an opening move: took the initiative in trying to solve the problem.

a. The power or right to introduce a new legislative measure.

b. The right and procedure by which citizens can propose a law by petition and ensure its submission to the electorate.

adj.

1. Of or relating to initiation.

2. Used to initiate; initiatory.

Idiom:

on (one's) own initiative

Without prompting or direction from others; on one's own.

in·i′tia·tive·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

initiative

(ɪˈnɪʃɪətɪv; -ˈnɪʃətɪv)

1. the first step or action of a matter; commencing move: he took the initiative; a peace initiative.

2. the right or power to begin or initiate something: he has the initiative.

3. the ability or attitude required to begin or initiate something

4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) government

a. the right or power to introduce legislation, etc, in a legislative body

b. the procedure by which citizens originate legislation, as in many American states and Switzerland

5. on one's own initiative without being prompted

adj

of or concerning initiation or serving to initiate; initiatory

inˈitiatively adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•i•ti•a•tive

(ɪˈnɪʃ i ə tɪv, ɪˈnɪʃ ə-)

n.

1. an introductory act or step; leading action: to take the initiative in making friends.

2. readiness and ability in initiating action; enterprise: to lack initiative.

3. one's personal, responsible decision: to act on one's own initiative.

a. a procedure by which a specified number of voters may propose a statute, constitutional amendment, or ordinance, and compel a popular vote on its adoption.

b. the general right or ability to present a new bill or measure, as in a legislature.

adj.

5. of or pertaining to initiation; introductory.

[1785–95]

in•i′ti•a•tive•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	initiative - readiness to embark on bold new ventures enterprisingness, go-ahead, enterprise drive - the trait of being highly motivated; "his drive and energy exhausted his co-workers"
	2.	initiative - the first of a series of actions first step, opening move, opening commencement, start, beginning - the act of starting something; "he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations" curtain raiser - any preliminary activity first base - the initial stage in accomplishing something; "we didn't get to first base with that approach" peace initiative - opening move in negotiating a peace treaty
Adj.	1.	initiative - serving to set in motion; "the magazine's inaugural issue"; "the initiative phase in the negotiations"; "an initiatory step toward a treaty"; "his first (or maiden) speech in Congress"; "the liner's maiden voyage" initiatory, maiden, inaugural, first opening - first or beginning; "the memorable opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth"; "the play's opening scene"

initiative

noun

1. plan, deal, proposal, act, action, measure, scheme, strategy, technique, suggestion, procedure, gambit There's talk of a new peace initiative.

2. advantage, start, lead, upper hand We have the initiative and we intend to keep it.

3. enterprise, drive, push (informal), energy, spirit, resource, leadership, ambition, daring, enthusiasm, pep, vigour, zeal, originality, eagerness, dynamism, boldness, welly (slang), inventiveness, get-up-and-go (informal), resourcefulness, gumption (informal), adventurousness He was disappointed by her lack of initiative.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

initiative

noun

An aggressive readiness along with energy to undertake taxing efforts:

drive, enterprise, hustle, punch.

Informal: get-up-and-go, gumption, push.

Translations

مُبَادَرَةٌمُبادَرَه

iniciativa

initiativ

aloite

inicijativa

kezdeményezés

frumkvæîi

iniziativa

イニシアチブ

개시

initiatief

foretaksomhet initiativ tiltak

inicjatywa

iniciativa

самодеятельность инициатива инициативный

iniciatíva

initiativ

การริเริ่ม

girişiminsiyatif

sáng kiến

主动创始动议第一步

initiative

[ɪˈnɪʃətɪv] N → iniciativa f
to use one's initiative → obrar por propia iniciativa
on one's own initiative → por iniciativa propia, motu propio
to take the initiative → tomar la iniciativa

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

initiative

[ɪˈnɪʃətɪv] n

(= idea, measure) → initiative f
a peace initiative → une initiative de paix
a diplomatic initiative → une initiative diplomatique
to take the initiative → prendre l'initiative

(= resourcefulness) → initiative f
his lack of initiative → son manque d'initiative
She's got initiative → Elle fait preuve d'initiative., Elle a de l'initiative.
He's got no initiative → Il n'a aucune initiative.
to use one's initiative → faire preuve d'initiative
As a soldier you have to use your initiative → En tant que soldat, vous devez faire preuve d'initiative.
on one's own initiative → de sa propre initiative
to act on one's own initiative → agir de sa propre initiative
to have the initiative to do sth → avoir assez d'initiative pour faire qch

(= upper hand) → initiative f
to have the initiative → avoir l'initiative
We have the initiative and we intend to keep it → Nous avons l'initiative et nous entendons la conserver.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

initiative

n → Initiative f; to take the initiative → die Initiative ergreifen; on one’s own initiative → aus eigener Initiative; to have initiative → Initiative haben; to have the initiative → überlegen sein; to lose the initiative → seine Überlegenheit verlieren; it was an initiative test for me → das hat meine Initiative auf die Probe gestellt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

initiative

[ɪˈnɪʃətɪv] n → iniziativa
on one's own initiative → di propria iniziativa, da sé
to take the initiative → prendere l'iniziativa
she's got initiative → è una che ha spirito d'iniziativa
an important initiative → un'importante iniziativa

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

initial

(iˈniʃəl) adjective

of, or at, the beginning. There were difficulties during the initial stages of building the house.

noun

the letter that begins a word, especially a name. The picture was signed with the initials JJB, standing for John James Brown.

verb – past tense, past participle iˈnitialled –

to mark or sign with initials of one's name. Any alteration on a cheque should be initialled.

iˈnitially adverb

at the beginning; at first. This project will cost a lot of money initially but will eventually make a profit.

iˈnitiate (-ʃieit) verb

1. to start (eg a plan, scheme, changes, reforms etc). He initiated a scheme for helping old people with their shopping.

2. to take (a person) into a society etc, especially with secret ceremonies. No-one who had been initiated into the society ever revealed the details of the ceremony.

iˈnitiate (-ʃiət) noun

a person who has been initiated (into a society etc).

iˌnitiˈation (-ʃiˈei-) noun

the act of initiating or process of being initiated.

iˈnitiative (-ʃətiv) noun

1. a first step or move that leads the way. He took the initiative in organizing a search party to look for the girl; A move to start peace talks is sometimes called a peace initiative.

2. the ability to lead or make decisions for oneself. He is quite good at his job, but lacks initiative; My son actually went to the hairdresser's on his own initiative!

initiative

→ مُبَادَرَةٌ iniciativa initiativ Initiative πρωτοβουλία iniciativa aloite initiative inicijativa iniziativa イニシアチブ 개시 initiatief initiativ inicjatywa iniciativa инициатива initiativ การริเริ่ม girişim sáng kiến 动议

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Therefore, it follows necessarily that, if Pandolfo was not in the first rank, he was in the second, for whenever one has judgment to know good and bad when it is said and done, although he himself may not have the initiative, yet he can recognize the good and the bad in his servant, and the one he can praise and the other correct; thus the servant cannot hope to deceive him, and is kept honest.

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She would flare up at them and make trouble, in her small but quite decided and resolute way; for she has a character of her own, and lacks neither promptness nor initiative. Sometimes her judgment is at fault, but I think her intentions are always right.

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The Under-world being in contact with machinery, which, however perfect, still needs some little thought outside habit, had probably retained perforce rather more initiative, if less of every other human character, than the Upper.

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Had we taken a quicker initiative at the time Larsan told us that lie about the cane, I am certain he would have gone off, to avoid suspicion.

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I was aware of the demand for action, and, my old helplessness strong upon me, I was waiting for him to take the initiative. Then, as the moments went by, it came to me that the situation was analogous to the one in which I had approached the long-maned bull, my intention of clubbing obscured by fear until it became a desire to make him run.

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The naval officer took the initiative in calling upon me, and his frankness was such that he told me all about his father, his mother, his sister (who is married to a lawyer of Tula), and the town of Kronstadt.

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Like men racing blindfold for a gap in a hedge, we were finishing a splendidly quick passage from the Antipodes, with a tremendous rush for the Channel in as thick a weather as any I can remember, but his psychology did not permit him to bring the ship to with a fair wind blowing - at least not on his own initiative. And yet he felt that very soon indeed something would have to be done.

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In every crowd composed of a hundred thousand spectators, there are ten thousand bandits or cut-purses -- only they dare not take the initiative."

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Of course there can be no exact parallel between arts so different as architecture and poetic composition: But certainly in the poetry of our day also, though it has been in some instances powerfully initiative and original, there is great scholarship, a large comparative acquaintance with the poetic methods of earlier workmen, and a very subtle intelligence of their charm.

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This time his bilious green eye took the initiative, and set his bilious brown eye the example of recovered serenity.

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Anyway, I shall first slap him; the initiative will be mine; and by the laws of honour that is everything: he will be branded and cannot wipe off the slap by any blows, by nothing but a duel.

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He said that the Emperor Alexander did not consider Kurakin's demand for his passports a sufficient cause for war; that Kurakin had acted on his own initiative and without his sovereign's assent, that the Emperor Alexander did not desire war, and had no relations with England.

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