Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

Thesaurus

inculcate

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of inculcate

1 to cause (as a person) to become filled or saturated with a certain quality or principle
  • dedicated teachers inculcating young minds with a love of learning
Synonyms of inculcate

endue (or indue), imbue, infuse, ingrain (also engrain), inoculate, invest, steep, suffuse
Words Related to inculcate

animate, charge, enliven, invigorate, leaven

implant, instill, plant

impregnate, permeate, pervade, saturate

deluge, drown, fill, flood, inundate, overwhelm, submerge
Near Antonyms of inculcate

deprive, divest, strip

clear, empty

eliminate, remove, take away
2 to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set
  • parents who inculcated in their offspring an abiding belief in giving back to the community
Synonyms of inculcate

breed, enroot, implant, infix, inseminate, instill, plant, sow
Words Related to inculcate

drive, hammer, pound

embed (also imbed), entrench (also intrench), fix, lodge, root

imbue, infuse, ingrain (also engrain), inoculate, invest, steep, suffuse

Synonym Discussion of inculcate

implant, inculcate, instill, inseminate, infix mean to introduce into the mind. implant implies teaching that makes for permanence of what is taught.
    • implanted a love of reading in her students
inculcate implies persistent or repeated efforts to impress on the mind.
    • tried to inculcate in him high moral standards
instill stresses gradual, gentle imparting of knowledge over a long period of time.
    • instill traditional values in your children
inseminate applies to a sowing of ideas in many minds so that they spread through a class or nation.
    • inseminated an unquestioning faith in technology
infix stresses firmly inculcating a habit of thought.
    • infixed a chronic cynicism

Learn More about inculcate

  1. See words that rhyme with inculcate Dictionary: Definition of inculcate Spanish Central: Translation of inculcate Nglish: Translation of inculcate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of inculcate for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up inculcate? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games