Incipient

[ in-sip-ee-uhnt ]

adjective

  1. in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop
  2. (of a person) developing into a specified type or role

Examples of incipient in a sentence:

  • Since the rumor is incipient, we can stop it by telling the truth immediately. 
  • We started out as colleagues, but we’re incipient friends.