Instill: meaning, definitions and examples

Use when you want to describe gradually introducing an idea or feeling into someone's mind over time.

• Parents should instill good values in their children from a young age.
• The teacher's goal was to instill a love for reading in her students.

Applicable when you want to describe introducing a quality, feeling, or new element into something or someone, often in a way that transforms it.

• The chef infused the dish with an exotic blend of spices.
• She tried to infuse her work with creativity and passion.

Adopt this word to describe putting an idea or belief firmly in someone's mind, often with a sense of permanence.

• The coach tried to implant a winning mentality in his team.
• The experience implanted a deep sense of justice in her.

Best used to indicate that something has become deeply and firmly established in someone's mind or character.

• Habits that are ingrained from childhood are hard to change.
• The values of hard work and dedication were ingrained in him by his parents.

Suitable for conveying information, knowledge, or wisdom to someone directly.

• The professor imparted his vast knowledge of history to the students.
• She imparted the secrets of the recipe to her daughter.

Best used when referring to gradually introducing an idea, feeling, or quality into someone's mind over time. Often used in educational or moral contexts.

• The teacher tried to instill a love of reading in her students.
• Parents need to instill good values in their children from a young age.

Appropriate when you want to describe spreading a particular quality or feeling throughout something or someone in a more pervasive manner.

• The artist's work is imbued with a deep sense of melancholy.
• Her speech was imbued with passion and conviction.

Used when you want to encourage or bring about a particular state or condition. Often has a slightly more direct or forceful connotation than 'instill' and can be used in both positive and negative contexts.

• The doctor decided to induce labor to avoid any complications.
• The advertisement aims to induce customers to buy their products.

Primarily used in medical contexts to describe the act of introducing a vaccine into the body to induce immunity. Figuratively, it can mean protecting against negative influences.

• The nurse inoculated the children against measles.
• He tried to inoculate himself against disappointment by keeping his expectations low.