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

• 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

Hardly seems like enough to cow these arrogant companies into behaving, especially when their business model is so intrinsically tied to hoovering up other people’s information and creative work. —James Folta, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025

People intrinsically want to do a good job. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 2 Sep. 2025

The abundance of carbon dioxide in the coma of 3I/ATLAS could indicate that the interstellar comet has a heart that is intrinsically rich in carbon dioxide. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2025

But the commissioner's argument is that profit potential has to be intrinsically similar to clear this comparability threshold. —Tax Notes Staff, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above