imbue

verb

im·​bue im-ˈbyü 

imbued; imbuing

transitive verb

1

: endow sense 3

Spanish missions imbue the city with Old World charm

—Scott Pendleton

2

: to permeate or influence as if by dyeing

the spirit that imbues the new constitution

3

: to tinge or dye deeply

Did you know?

Imbue Has Old French Roots

Like its synonym infuse, imbue implies the introduction of one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. Someone's voice can be imbued with pride, for example, or a photograph might be imbued with a sense of melancholy. In the past imbue has also been used synonymously with imbrue, an obscure word meaning “to drench or stain,” but the two words are likely unrelated. Imbue comes from the Latin verb imbuere, meaning “to dye, wet, or moisten.” Imbrue has been traced back through Anglo-French and Old French to the Latin verb bibere, meaning “to drink.”

Synonyms

• endue
• indue
• inculcate
• infuse
• ingrain
• engrain
• inoculate
• invest
• steep
• suffuse

Choose the Right Synonym for imbue

infuse, suffuse, imbue, ingrain, inoculate, leaven mean to introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout.

infuse implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance.

new members infused enthusiasm into the club

suffuse implies a spreading through of something that gives an unusual color or quality.

a room suffused with light

imbue implies the introduction of a quality that fills and permeates the whole being.

imbue students with intellectual curiosity

ingrain, used only in the passive or past participle, suggests the deep implanting of a quality or trait.

clung to ingrained habits

inoculate implies an imbuing or implanting with a germinal idea and often suggests stealth or subtlety.

an electorate inoculated with dangerous ideas

leaven implies introducing something that enlivens, tempers, or markedly alters the total quality.

a serious play leavened with comic moments

Examples of imbue in a Sentence

A feeling of optimism imbues her works.

her training at the school for the deaf imbued her with a sense of purpose that she had never known before

Recent Examples on the Web

Case in point: Klaus Kinski’s jaw-dropping and note-perfect performance as the colorized Orlok, which maintains Max Schreck’s absolute repellant-ness yet imbues him with profound depth. —Elle Carroll, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024

Laura Jackson, ethereal in Danielle Frankel’s semi-custom lace, imbued her summer wedding in Maine with a poetic nod to her mother’s bridal legacy. —Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2024

The extensive art collection and decorative objects imbue Caribbean character. —Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 22 Dec. 2024

And this is a children’s movie, after all—for those old enough to sit through the film’s scarier bits, perhaps the animals’ expressiveness may help imbue some valuable takeaways about family and forgiveness. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin imbuere

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

imbue

verb

im·​bue im-ˈbyü 

imbued; imbuing

1

: to spread through or influence deeply as if by dyeing

imbued with a sense of loyalty

2

: to tinge or dye deeply

3

: endow sense 2

the lighting imbues the room with warmth