as in first
coming before all others in time or order
the inaugural event in the city's week long festival honoring the sailing ships
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in inauguration
the process or an instance of being formally placed in an office or organization
attended the inaugurals of the city's last three mayors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 inaugural
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 July 2025
Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson made their red carpet debut Wednesday night (July 16) in New York City at the Houston Hottie’s inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 17 July 2025
Brad Adgate, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Only Richard Nixon’s second inaugural, in 1973, produced more viewers than the first inauguration.
—Brad Adgate, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inaugural
Adjective
Springsteen will receive the museum’s inaugural Legacy Award and is also set for a live performance at the ceremony.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 17 July 2025
Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson made their red carpet debut Wednesday night (July 16) in New York City at the Houston Hottie’s inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 17 July 2025
Noun
Similar to previous inaugurals, Nielsen’s audience numbers do not include streaming which continues to grow as a video source.
—Brad Adgate, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Only Richard Nixon’s second inaugural, in 1973, produced more viewers than the first inauguration.
—Brad Adgate, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inaugural
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inaugural
Adjective
-
With the first two episodes already having so much drama, the rest of the summer is sure to be eventful.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
-
The project is the first to enlist youth to do this monitoring.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
Noun
-
Habba’s appointment as U.S. attorney came after the lawyer had become known as one of Trump’s most ardent defenders, serving as one of the president’s personal defense attorneys from 2021 through his inauguration.—
Alison Durkee,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
In January, just days after his inauguration, Trump said in a video appearance at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland that Saudi Arabia and OPEC should take steps to lower oil prices.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
But xAI’s Grok took a very different route in the initial rounds of testing.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
-
After Brown and Mustafa’s initial coupling, viewers voted to pair him with Kendall.—
Erin Clements,
People.com,
15 July 2025
Adjective
-
Now, after flash floods earlier this month killed at least 135 Texans in the Hill Country, the bill’s original authors are hoping Abbott will give the proposal a second look.—
Bayliss Wagner,
Austin American Statesman,
25 July 2025
-
On July 18, Taylor Nation posted a new archive section of her website that includes 15 tabs for each of her albums (11 original recordings and four rerecords).—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
For the maiden voyage of Luminara, the third superyacht in the Ritz-Carlton collection, a fleet of bold-faced names—including Tom Brady, Sofia Vergara, Colman Domingo, Janelle Monáe and Martha Stewart—recently enjoyed a two-day trip to Malta.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
-
The largest cruise ship in the world is set to make its maiden voyage in August.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Adjective
-
Just as Russia has declined in its military might since the break-up of the Soviet Union a generation ago, Grossfeld says, its status as one of the globe’s foremost space powers has likewise slipped away.—
Kevin Holden Platt,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
-
But all that nuttiness took place a long time ago, under the influence, and, according to the world’s foremost Ozzy authority, such is not really the case.—
Erik Hedegaard,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inaugural.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inaugural. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share