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Initialism

/ɪˈnɪʃəlɪzəm/

A term formed from the initial letters of several words or parts of words, but which is itself pronounced letter by letter.

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📖 Definitions of "Initialism"

noun

1
A term formed from the initial letters of several words or parts of words, but which is itself pronounced letter by letter.
"BBC is an initialism for British Broadcasting Corporation."
2
The process of forming words or terms using initial letters of other words.

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Initialism"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

Word	Definition
abbreviationsnoun	(linguistics) A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used to represent the whole, using omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @.
acronymsnoun	(linguistics) An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.
initialsnoun	An abbreviation of a person's name, constructed by taking the initial letters of first, last, and sometimes middle name(s). See monogram
symbols	The ninth studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, titled with a set of five unpronounceable, non-alphabetic symbols and commonly known as Symbols, was released on 23 September 1997 by Wax Trax!
acronymnoun	(linguistics) An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.
alphabetismnoun	(uncountable) The ability to read an alphabet, a rudimentary form of literacy.
acronymynoun	The use of acronyms.
l.c.noun	Initialism of lower case. [The minuscule or small letters (a, b, c, as opposed to the uppercase or capital letters, A, B, C).]
initialistnoun	A writer who identifies themselves by the initial letters of their name.
recursive acronymnoun	An acronym in which a word (often the first) of the phrase represented by the acronym is the acronym itself.
pseudo-acronymnoun	(linguistics) A term that is seemingly an acronym or (broadly) an initialism but does not stand for anything.
orphan initialismnoun	(linguistics) An existing initialism which has been redefined as a nonacronymous name, severing its link to its previous meaning.
a.l.noun	Initialism of autograph letter.
abecedismnoun	(very rare) An initialism.
anacronymnoun	An acronym that is usually no longer thought of as such, but instead treated as a regular word and styled in lower case despite its etymological origin.
abbreviaturenoun	A shortened form of a word or phrase, used in place of the whole; an abbreviation.
macronymnoun	(rare) An acronym having a letter that stands for another acronym.
acronymingnoun	The action of turning into an acronym.
apronymnoun	An acronym or backronym that spells out another word or phrase relating to the meaning of the phrase that it abbreviates.
backronymnoun	A word that is originally not an acronym but is turned into one by devising a full form for it, sometimes as a folk etymology, sometimes as a contrived acronym to name a new organization, proposal, or other entity.