ingrain 1 of 2

variants also engrain
1
as in to inculcate
to cause (as a person) to become filled or saturated with a certain quality or principle the journalism professor has long ingrained his students with a deep respect for their chosen profession

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to etch
to produce a vivid impression of the third-world privation he had witnessed forever ingrained itself upon the young doctor's memory

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

ingrain

2 of 2

adjective

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb ingrain differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ingrain are imbue, infuse, inoculate, leaven, and suffuse. While all these words mean "to introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout," ingrain, used only in the passive or past participle, suggests the deep implanting of a quality or trait.

clung to ingrained habits

When is it sensible to use imbue instead of ingrain?

The words imbue and ingrain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, imbue implies the introduction of a quality that fills and permeates the whole being.

imbue students with intellectual curiosity

Where would infuse be a reasonable alternative to ingrain?

While the synonyms infuse and ingrain are close in meaning, infuse implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance.

new members infused enthusiasm into the club

In what contexts can inoculate take the place of ingrain?

In some situations, the words inoculate and ingrain are roughly equivalent. However, inoculate implies an imbuing or implanting with a germinal idea and often suggests stealth or subtlety.

an electorate inoculated with dangerous ideas

When is leaven a more appropriate choice than ingrain?

Although the words leaven and ingrain have much in common, leaven implies introducing something that enlivens, tempers, or markedly alters the total quality.

a serious play leavened with comic moments

When might suffuse be a better fit than ingrain?

The synonyms suffuse and ingrain are sometimes interchangeable, but suffuse implies a spreading through of something that gives an unusual color or quality.

a room suffused with light

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ingrain
Verb
Photo: Kelly Marshall Little Wing Lee As the daughter of a modern dancer, considering how space should feel was ingrained in Little Wing Lee. Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2025 The north's dominance of league football was just as ingrained. Matt Slater, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025 Barrett’s initial greeting is ingrained in Painter’s mind. Matt Gelb, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025 Second time around Where President Joe Biden responded to national exhaustion with Trump after the Republican’s first term by trying to stay off Americans’ screens and out of their lives as much as possible, Trump has ingrained himself in the national culture. Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ingrain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ingrain
Verb
  • Image Clooney tried to inculcate his father’s values.
    Thea Traff, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
  • This approach, driven by the following strategies, can help inculcate a culture of innovation and transform teams into innovation champions.
    Sivakumar Ramakrishnan, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • The words were etched in four languages, scratched into the edge of the pale wood by at least a dozen different hands, perhaps over the course of decades.
    April White, JSTOR Daily, 21 Mar. 2025
  • As soon as the celebrations started, City players headed down the tunnel, disappointment etched on their faces.
    Charlotte Harpur, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The array of messages from Johnson midway into his term paint a picture of a freshman executive entrenching further into his identity as a Black mayor after two years of steep setbacks and attacks on his leadership abilities.
    Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
  • This pattern of the industry hijacking public health measures, offering minor concessions to entrench their own interests, continued with other tobacco policies.
    Simar Bajaj / Made by History, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • For as bleak as things can feel for Chicago’s South Side ballclub, there is still an inherent optimism when everyone’s record is 0-0.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Similarly, companies that release forked AOSP products rarely use the main AOSP branch due to its inherent instability.
    Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Head to the ice cream bar for old-fashioned floats and milkshakes, or enjoy a Nitro coffee beverage infused with vanilla ice cream.
    Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Let the herbs steep, stirring clockwise to infuse the water with intention.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Its packaging, a jewel-like blue bottle engraved with a golden lotus, looks like it was plucked from a fantasy apothecary in the night sky.
    Jenny Berg, Allure, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The model wore a gray vest with light blue pinstripes, cutout vents, sharp lapels, and gold buttons engraved with Westwood’s telltale orb insignia.
    Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Kim adds that scientific knowledge has no intrinsic moral value.
    H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 22 Mar. 2025
  • The decision to sell is typically based on price movement rather than intrinsic value.
    True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • For example, the agency would ensure water and sewer systems could handle bigger floods, or would plan to inoculate against diseases that might spread faster in warm weather.
    Jake Bittle, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2025
  • Hauksbee wrote that he himself had been inspired by the methods of English physician James Jurin, who in the 1720s published outcomes of inoculating people against smallpox, a precursor to smallpox vaccination.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN, 18 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ingrain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ingrain. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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