as in planting
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set
a charismatic leader who instilled in his followers a passionate commitment to the cause
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Recent Examples of instilling
The two-story family room features a sunken conversation area that lowers occupants to garden level, enhancing the sense of connection to the landscape and instilling a sense of intimacy within the open plan.
—
Fred Albert, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
But Adelman also thrived at instilling confidence in players like Delk, a former star at the University of Kentucky who struggled with the Golden State Warriors prior to signing with the Kings in August 1999.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Wayans credits his father, Howell, a supermarket manager and Jehovah’s Witness, for instilling in the family a sense of faith, while his mother, Elvira, a social worker, is responsible for their sharp comedy chops.
—Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 May 2026
The manager is a hugely popular figure with players, instilling cohesion and spirit in unexpectedly challenging circumstances.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 22 May 2026
The good news is their $20 million a year head coach looks to be instilling the right on-field habits into his team, so maybe the football on Sundays will actually demonstrate the progress that only the Giants themselves apparently can see at the moment.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
Rhys, long an expert at instilling indignation with soulful sentiment, gets pushed further here.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Béliard credits Sprecher with instilling those from Day One.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 28 Apr. 2026
Ross credited her mother, Susie Talley, with encouraging her to perform and instilling the importance of family.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
Fred Albert, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
But Adelman also thrived at instilling confidence in players like Delk, a former star at the University of Kentucky who struggled with the Golden State Warriors prior to signing with the Kings in August 1999.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 2 June 2026
Wayans credits his father, Howell, a supermarket manager and Jehovah’s Witness, for instilling in the family a sense of faith, while his mother, Elvira, a social worker, is responsible for their sharp comedy chops.
—Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 May 2026
The manager is a hugely popular figure with players, instilling cohesion and spirit in unexpectedly challenging circumstances.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 22 May 2026
The good news is their $20 million a year head coach looks to be instilling the right on-field habits into his team, so maybe the football on Sundays will actually demonstrate the progress that only the Giants themselves apparently can see at the moment.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
Rhys, long an expert at instilling indignation with soulful sentiment, gets pushed further here.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
Béliard credits Sprecher with instilling those from Day One.
—Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 28 Apr. 2026
Ross credited her mother, Susie Talley, with encouraging her to perform and instilling the importance of family.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instilling
Verb
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Ensure that your young peach tree is at least 12 to 18 inches tall before planting it outside.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
6 June 2026
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Just be sure to avoid planting the spurge-laurel variety, which is an invasive plant.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
6 June 2026
Verb
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There were also breeding facilities in the state.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
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Most snakes start breeding in spring after winter dormancy, making summer the prime time to encounter one of several venomous snake species found from western Missouri to Wichita.—
Sophie Lindberg,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Manipulations include everything from surgically removing key tissues to implanting beads soaked with signaling molecules to injecting DNA into cells to instruct them to make a different set of proteins.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
20 May 2026
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Vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy and depression generally involves implanting an electrical stimulator in the left side of a patient’s chest, where the vagus nerve passes.—
Elizabeth Riley,
The Conversation,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The collaboration comes after Ephea was incubated by Kering’s Material Innovation Lab in Milan, which identifies, evolves, and helps to operationalize hundreds of alternative materials, with the hope of embedding them into brand collections.—
Bella Webb,
Vogue,
11 June 2026
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Beyond the technology, the bet is that owning the company and embedding engineers inside it for years makes the change durable.—
Jasmine Wu,Deirdre Bosa,
CNBC,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instilling. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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