Synonyms of educate

educate

verb

ˈe-jə-ˌkāt 

1

as in to teach

to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field

a revered professor of astronomy who is credited with educating many of today's leading astronomers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• teach
• instruct
• school
• indoctrinate
• train
• lesson
• tutor
• inform
• guide
• prepare
• coach
• lecture
• mentor
• enlighten
• preach
• instill
• prime
• introduce
• inculcate
• ground
• moralize
• edify
• familiarize
• drill
• lead
• show
• qualify
• catechize
• retrain
• habilitate
• reeducate
• direct
• impart (to)
• initiate
• fit
• implant
• rear
• homeschool
• brief
• reteach
• verse
• reschool

2

as in to inspire

to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding

the belief that parents better educate their children by example than by sending them to Sunday school

Synonyms & Similar Words

• inspire
• enlighten
• enrich
• illumine
• nurture
• transform
• edify
• illuminate
• uplift
• improve
• elevate
• ennoble
• better
• illume
• lift
• exalt
• regenerate
• renew
• ensoul
• transfigure
• glorify

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confuse
• puzzle
• obscure
• perplex
• darken
• cloud
• becloud

Synonym Chooser

How is the word educate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of educate are discipline, instruct, school, teach, and train. While all these words mean "to cause to acquire knowledge or skill," educate implies development of the mind.

more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person

When might discipline be a better fit than educate?

Although the words discipline and educate have much in common, discipline implies training in habits of order and precision.

a disciplined mind

When would instruct be a good substitute for educate?

In some situations, the words instruct and educate are roughly equivalent. However, instruct suggests methodical or formal teaching.

instructs raw recruits in military drill

In what contexts can school take the place of educate?

The words school and educate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master.

schooled the horse in five gaits

Where would teach be a reasonable alternative to educate?

The synonyms teach and educate are sometimes interchangeable, but teach applies to any manner of imparting information or skill so that others may learn.

taught us a lot about our planet

When can train be used instead of educate?

The meanings of train and educate largely overlap; however, train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view.

trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of educate

Cuba’s population remains highly educated, even as the wages MIPYMEs can pay pull skilled professionals away from their fields. — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026

It will be led by NASA, and one of its core functions will be educating future scientists, engineers and astronauts, as well as warfighters. — Julian Dossett, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Some of the projects focus educating people about safe firearm storage, including distributing safety devices like gun locks, to prevent accidental shootings and suicides, according to the release. — Renee Anderson, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

The early 2000s brought a strong focus on educating communities about the harms of secondhand smoke and successful policies to restrict smoking in public places. — Susan Morrisey, STAT, 15 Sep. 2026