inauguration
/ɪˌnɔːɡjəˈreɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˌnɔːɡjəˈreɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˌnȯ-gyə-ˈrā-shən -gə-/ (ame, mw)
inauguration — noun
- inaugurationsingular
- inaugurationsplural
1. the formal event where a person is given a powerful public role, such as preside
the formal event where a person is given a powerful public role, such as president or judge, or the process of placing that person in the role.
Talia flew to Washington to attend the new president's inauguration in January.
common pattern: attend + [person]'s inauguration
The inauguration of Chief Justice Adisa took place in the main hall of the supreme court.
formal pattern: the inauguration of + [person/title]
Heavy rain did not stop thousands of people from watching the governor's inauguration on the city steps.
Rachel gave a short speech at her father's inauguration as the new mayor of the town.
Television crews from many countries arrived in the capital a week before the inauguration.
- swearing-in
narrower — refers only to the oath-taking moment of the ceremony
- investiture
more formal and old-fashioned; used for monarchs and bishops
- installation
broader; used for academic and church leaders as well as political ones
文法句型
the inauguration of [person]
at the inauguration
用法筆記
Subject of the inauguration is usually a senior public official (president, governor, mayor, judge). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense always involves a person taking office, not a building or service starting.
常見錯誤
2. a formal event marking the moment when a new building, service, or large public
a formal event marking the moment when a new building, service, or large public project is opened and ready for people to use.
The mayor cut a red ribbon at the inauguration of the new children's hospital.
common pattern: the inauguration of + [building]
Dahlia was invited to play the violin at the inauguration of the city's concert hall.
The inauguration of the high-speed train line drew crowds along the entire route.
Local farmers attended the inauguration of the new market in the village square.
Sayaka took photographs of the opera house's inauguration for the morning newspaper.
- closure
marks the end of operation rather than the start
文法句型
the inauguration of [building/service]
用法筆記
Subject is a new building, line, service, or facility — not a person (compare sense 1) and not an abstract era or trend (compare sense 3). Often paired with a symbolic action such as cutting a ribbon or unveiling a plaque.
3. the formal start of a major historical age, cultural trend, or large social shif
the formal start of a major historical age, cultural trend, or large social shift — for example, the moon-landing era in science or a fresh wave in fashion.
Historians often point to 1945 as the inauguration of a new global order.
common pattern: the inauguration of + [period/order]
The festival celebrated the inauguration of a fresh artistic movement in the city.
Many people see the moon landing as the inauguration of the modern space age.
Lakan wrote a long essay about the inauguration of street fashion in 1980s Tokyo.
The treaty marked the inauguration of fifty years of peace between the two nations.
- end
marks the close of the period rather than its start
文法句型
the inauguration of [period/movement]
用法筆記
Used in writing about history, art, or politics. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense refers to abstract beginnings (eras, movements, styles), not the opening of a physical building or service.