began or started something; admitted someone into a group
from Latin initiatus 'begun'
Initiated means you took the initial step - the very first move!
Initiation rites historically gatekept authority, secrets, and status along gender lines. Women were either excluded entirely or subjected to separate, subordinate rituals with different knowledge/power conferral.
Use 'initiated' neutrally; when discussing rituals, specify whether and how gender shaped access and authority conferral.
Women-led initiation traditions—from Eleusinian Mysteries to modern organizations—held genuine authority; their exclusion from male-dominated societies obscured women's parallel power structures.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.