assimilate

1 to describe as similar <assimilated the 19th-century American captains of industry and commerce to the medieval barons who exorbitantly taxed shipping along the Rhine> Synonyms analogize, compare, bracket, equate, likenRelated Words associate, connect, couple, link; allude, refer, relate; equal, match, parallelAntonyms contrast

2 to have a clear idea of <still trying to assimilate the doctor's diagnosis of my heart condition> Synonyms appreciate, apprehend, comprehend, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understandRelated Words absorb, digest, take in; realize; fathom, penetrate, pierceNear Antonyms misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstandAntonyms miss

3 to make a part of a body or system <social workers will need time to assimilate the new arrivals into the community> Synonyms absorb, embody, co-opt, incorporate, integrateRelated Words amalgamate, blend, combine, commingle, fuse, intermingle, merge, mingle; acculturate, accustom, condition, enculturate, habituate, naturalize