inaugural

1 of 2

adjective

in·​au·​gu·​ral i-ˈnȯ-gyə-rəl 

-g(ə-)rəl

1

: of or relating to an inauguration

2

: marking a beginning : first in a projected series

inaugural

2 of 2

noun

1

: an inaugural address

2

: inauguration

Synonyms

Adjective

• earliest
• first
• foremost
• headmost
• initial
• leadoff
• maiden
• original
• pioneer
• premier
• virgin

Noun

• baptism
• inauguration
• induction
• initiation
• installation
• installment
• instalment
• investiture
• investment

Examples of inaugural in a Sentence

Adjective

They attended the inaugural ball.

the inaugural event in the city's week long festival honoring the sailing ships

Noun

attended the inaugurals of the city's last three mayors

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Toyota North America followed suit on Tuesday, pledging $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, which is a fundraising effort that supports the president-elect's inauguration and related events. —Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024

OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Facebook’s parent, Meta, contributed to Trump’s inaugural fund, and Amazon reportedly did as well. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Noun

For the coming future, for January, have a good inaugural. —NBC News, 15 Dec. 2024

Corporations have traditionally made up a large share of donors to presidential inaugurals, with an exception in 2009, when then-President-elect Barack Obama refused to accept corporate donations. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1689, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing inaugural

• pre-inaugural

Kids Definition

inaugural

1 of 2 adjective

in·​au·​gu·​ral in-ˈȯ-gyə-rəl 

-g(ə-)rəl

1

: of or relating to an inauguration

the inaugural address

an inaugural ball

2

: marking a beginning

the inaugural run of a new high-speed train

inaugural

2 of 2 noun

1

: an inaugural address

2

: inauguration