instill

as in to plant
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set a charismatic leader who instilled in his followers a passionate commitment to the cause

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb instill differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of instill are implant, inculcate, infix, and inseminate. While all these words mean "to introduce into the mind," instill stresses gradual, gentle imparting of knowledge over a long period of time.

instill traditional values in your children

When would implant be a good substitute for instill?

While in some cases nearly identical to instill, implant implies teaching that makes for permanence of what is taught.

implanted a love of reading in her students

Where would inculcate be a reasonable alternative to instill?

While the synonyms inculcate and instill are close in meaning, inculcate implies persistent or repeated efforts to impress on the mind.

tried to inculcate in him high moral standards

When could infix be used to replace instill?

Although the words infix and instill have much in common, infix stresses firmly inculcating a habit of thought.

infixed a chronic cynicism

In what contexts can inseminate take the place of instill?

The meanings of inseminate and instill largely overlap; however, inseminate applies to a sowing of ideas in many minds so that they spread through a class or nation.

inseminated an unquestioning faith in technology

Examples 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 instill Although the building itself doesn’t exist in a usable form anymore, its image from a past that now seems distant can still instill hope. Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024 Using Christina Ricci's Cat Full of Spiders deck, here's what Halloween has in store for you, according to a tarot reader Comments With Halloween approaching, an eerie yet enchanting energy crackles through the air, instilling a sense of anticipation and mystery. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024 Literature and movies instill this disgust deeper still. Salama Udaipurwala, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024 Unlike the formal period clothing worn by the heroine in Lugosi’s film, Tovar was made to wear a negligee, instilling an impression that Latinas and Latino audiences have looser morals than their English-language counterparts, Morales said. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 27 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for instill 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instill
Verb
  • So can food plots, especially those planted with timely species.
    Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
  • Air Force One's coms went down because of malicious code planted by Leonard Rish’s daughter in the NCIS-verse’s 1,000th episode, and the vice president actually just ate some bad chicken.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Typically breeding once a year, quokkas produce only one baby, a joey.
    Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Basically that poor enforcement had bred serious disrespect for the law, or at least a misunderstanding of it.
    Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Witness, by Whittaker Chambers This 1952 memoir is still thrust in the hands of budding young conservatives, as a means of inculcating them into the movement.
    Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
  • Sensing such threats, organizations are increasingly creating dedicated structures and processes to inculcate AI ethics proactively.
    Swanand Deodhar, Favour Borokini, Ben Waber, Harvard Business Review, 5 Aug. 2024
Verb
  • Casinos and gambling, which are no longer just in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, but everywhere, embedded in daily life.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Traditional Saudi elements such as mosaics were reinvented as ceiling coverings, while fiber optics were embedded into the plaster walls to illuminate at night.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • As previously reported by USA TODAY, the annual viral debate is rooted not only in preferences and good fun, but in psychology as well.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Amityville may strike modern viewers raised on Insidious and Conjuring flicks as slightly passé: The pacing is quintessentially ’70s, which is to say deliberate, yet the film works all the better for it, rooting the horror in suspense and touting a visually vintage sheen.
    Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near instill

Cite this Entry

“Instill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instill. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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