incipient

adjective

in-ˈsi-pē-ənt How to pronounce incipient (audio)
Definition of incipientnext
as in nascent
beginning to come into existence I have an incipient dislike and distrust of that guy, and I only met him this morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 incipient Their evident fondness for one another, glowing warmly alongside all their sniping and whispering and eye-rolling, allows all the nightmares in Big Mistakes to feel like a lark rather than an incipient calamity. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026 Now, the Iran war threatens to widen an incipient generational divide within the GOP. — Ronald Brownstein, Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2026 His incipient political ascent has been marred by tragedy—41 people died and more than 80 were injured in a stampede at a TVK rally in 2025. — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Mar. 2026 In one settlement set to be devoured by London, Hester (Hera Hilmar) is waiting to exact revenge against Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) for killing her mother, and young historian Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) joins her incipient rebellion. — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incipient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incipient
  1. nascent
  2. initial
  3. first
Adjective
  • Emerging artists still see incredible value in these performances — and are hopeful that nascent online programming will offer a new alternative.
    — Maria Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Among the deals powering SpaceX’s nascent cloud business are contracts with Anthropic and with Google.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of nascent
Adjective
  • These winds are strong enough to blow around embers and keep fire crews on their toes, but are nowhere close to the nearly 50 mph gusts that fueled the fires’ initial explosive spread last weekend.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Implementation began last month with an initial pilot zone in an area that wasn’t occupied by Israeli forces but had previously sustained Israeli fire.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of initial
Adjective
  • Also, after the first round, each mini-game has a separate metagame, where one or more players have a secret goal to meet without getting caught.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The sentences at the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus are the first against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family’s five decades in power came to an end 20 months ago.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of first

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Cite this Entry

“Incipient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incipient. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on incipient

Nglish: Translation of incipient for Spanish Speakers

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