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Onset vs Initiative - What's the difference?

onset | initiative | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between onset and initiative

is that onset is a rushing or setting upon; an attack; an assault; a storming; especially, the assault of an army while initiative is a beginning; a first move.

As a verb onset

is to assault; to set upon.

As an adjective initiative is

serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.

onset

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A rushing or setting upon; an attack; an assault; a storming; especially, the assault of an army.
  • * (rfdate) (William Shakespeare),
    • The onset and retire / Of both your armies.
  • * (rfdate) (William Wordsworth),
    • Who on that day the word of onset gave.
  • (medicine) The initial phase of a disease or condition, in which symptoms first become apparent.
  • (phonology) The initial portion of a syllable, preceding the syllable nucleus.
  • (acoustics) The beginning of a musical note or other sound, in which the amplitude rises from zero to an initial peak.
  • (obsolete) A setting about; a beginning.
  • * (rfdate) (Francis Bacon),
    • There is surely no greater wisdom than well to time the beginnings and onsets of things.
  • (obsolete) Anything set on, or added, as an ornament or as a useful appendage.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=28, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= High and wet , passage=Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.}}
    (Shakespeare)
    (Johnson)

    Verb

  • (obsolete) To assault; to set upon.
  • (obsolete) To set about; to begin.

    • Anagrams

    * English irregular verbs

    initiative

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A beginning; a first move.
  • A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.
  • The ability to act first or on one's own.
  • An issue to be voted on, brought to the ballot by a sufficient number of signatures from among the voting public.

    • Synonyms

    * (issue to be voted on) direct initiative

    Derived terms

    * direct initiative

    Related terms

    * initial * initialism * initialization * initialize * initiate * initiation

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.
  • In which voter s can be brought to the ballot.
  • * John G. Matsusaka, "Direct Democracy and the Executive Branch", in, 2008, Shaun Bowler and Amihai Glazer, editors, Direct Democracy's Impact on American Political Institutions , , ISBN 9780230604452, page 122 [http://books.google.com/books?id=J6swcucKdNIC&pg=PA122&dq=initiative]:
    • The second row shows that initiative states fill more constitutional offices by election than noninitiative states, and the difference is statistically significant after controlling for region and population.

    Antonyms

    * noninitiative

    External links

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