ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Inchoative

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ɪnˈkəʊ.ə.tɪv/ · Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Inchoative is an adjective meaning Initial; as yet unformed; inchoate.

Meaning

Initial; as yet unformed; inchoate.

More Meanings

  1. (grammar) Aspectually indicating that a state is about to be entered or is in the process of being entered.
  2. (grammar) An inchoative construction.
  3. In Catalan, being a member of a class of third-conjugation verbs (e.g. servir) in which a syllable -eix- (or otherwise depending on dialect), derived from the Latin inchoative but now without meaning, is inserted into certain conjugations (e.g. serveixo).

Example Sentences

The inchoative (inceptive) aspect of a verb expresses the beginning of an action. Example: He is beginning to crawl.
Our first Piece is of Winter, or late Autumn, 1771,—while the solution of the Polish Business is still in its inchoative stages; …
[T]he day-Star […] ſhall be riſen in our hearts; vvhereof theſe acts of our intellect ſeem to be ſome inchoative or imperfect rays, […]

Word Forms

Synonyms for inchoative

Depending on context, synonyms include immature, formative.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include immature, formative, inchoactive, inchoate, incipient, inceptive.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.