intrinsically

adverb

in·​trin·​si·​cal·​ly in-ˈtrin-zi-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈtrin(t)-si-

: in an intrinsic manner : by natural character : in itself

an intrinsically difficult language

intrinsically evil/valuable

The media do not have to go along with the pretense that there is something intrinsically virtuous about a movement with no leaders.

—David Carr

While etymologies of such terms are intrinsically interesting, they can also serve one of the aims of critical pedagogies …

—Jennifer Beech

Environmentalists have tended to treat big buildings as intrinsically wasteful, because large amounts of energy are expended in their construction, and because the buildings place intensely localized stresses on sewers, power lines, and water systems.

—David Owen

Synonyms of intrinsically

• inherently
• fundamentally

Examples of intrinsically in a Sentence

he's worked hard to be good at baseball, as he's not intrinsically athletic

Recent Examples on the Web

How the place manages to be so intrinsically child-friendly yet also so mind-blowingly romantic is a feat of design brilliance. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Brown is intrinsically wired to find all sorts of ways for self-motivation, so a big season in 2026 almost feels inevitable, health permitting. —Jeff Howe, New York Times, 1 June 2026

Is technology intrinsically bad, or can it be harnessed for progressive ends? —Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 29 May 2026

This refers to a 2015 paper suggesting that red pulp macrophages in the spleens of mice and humans are intrinsically superparamagnetic and hence more sensitive to magnetic fields. —ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above