origins

NOUN

cause, basis

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ancestor ancestry connection element influence motive provenance root source

STRONG

agent antecedent author base causality causation creator derivation determinant egg embryo fountain generator germ impulse inception inducement inspiration mainspring nucleus occasion parent parentage principle producer progenitor provenience roots seed spring stock well wellspring

WEAK

horse's mouth

Antonyms

STRONG

conclusion effect end ending result

WEAK

close completion consequence death destiny finale goal outcome outgrowth termination

NOUN

beginning, inception

Synonyms

STRONGEST

birth genesis

STRONG

alpha commencement creation dawn dawning embarkation emergence entrance entry forging foundation inauguration ingress initiation introduction launch nativity opener origination outbreak outset rise start

WEAK

blast off day one early stage git go square one starting point

Antonyms

STRONGEST

conclusion end finish

STRONG

close completion death ending exit stop

WEAK

consequence destiny effect finale goal outcome outgrowth result termination

NOUN

family, heritage

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ancestry birth descent lineage

STRONG

beginnings blood extraction maternity parentage paternity pedigree stock

Antonyms

WEAK

close completion conclusion consequence death destiny effect end finale goal outcome outgrowth result termination

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Historian Swapna Liddle acknowledged the club's elitist origins, but said she would have preferred efforts to reform the institution rather than shutting it down.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

Though the drones’ origins may be subject to debate, there is no question of their impact, supercharging displacement in a conflict that has already forced more than 14 million out of their homes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

The origins of Memorial Day date back to 1868, when Civil War soldiers on the Union side decorated the graves of the war dead with flowers.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

He wants us to see Anthony as someone who “feeds into a story of new beginnings in North America,” the origins of our melting-pot society.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Despite its independent origins and distinctive sign forms, Maya writing is organized on principles basically similar to those of Sumerian writing and other western Eurasian writing systems that Sumerian inspired.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond