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 Prince and Princess of Wales are both passionate about sports and fitness, instilling that interest in their children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
—
Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Changing the Giants’ culture, restoring leadership to their locker room and instilling higher expectations into the building will be no easy task.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2026
Aiken points to former students who became educators, doctors and professionals outside the arts, crediting dance for instilling transferable skills.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Jan. 2026
Perhaps no one is better at instilling confidence in players of all experience levels at that position.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Authoritarian regimes—and the militias and security agencies that buttress them—rely on instilling fear in their subjects.
—Elizabeth Tsurkov, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
But for those who have taken the plunge, VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth says the asset class is instilling a sense of loyalty — despite bouts of volatility.
—Jill Schneider, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026
The problem is that the effort has succeeded only in decapitating the Maduro government and instilling fear among Venezuelans of future instability.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
The notion clearly motivates Cardenas, instilling in him a sense of fervor and urgency.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Changing the Giants’ culture, restoring leadership to their locker room and instilling higher expectations into the building will be no easy task.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2026
Aiken points to former students who became educators, doctors and professionals outside the arts, crediting dance for instilling transferable skills.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Jan. 2026
Perhaps no one is better at instilling confidence in players of all experience levels at that position.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Authoritarian regimes—and the militias and security agencies that buttress them—rely on instilling fear in their subjects.
—Elizabeth Tsurkov, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
But for those who have taken the plunge, VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth says the asset class is instilling a sense of loyalty — despite bouts of volatility.
—Jill Schneider, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026
The problem is that the effort has succeeded only in decapitating the Maduro government and instilling fear among Venezuelans of future instability.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
The notion clearly motivates Cardenas, instilling in him a sense of fervor and urgency.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instilling
Verb
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For best results, choose a rich potting mix and amend garden soil with compost before planting.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
7 Jan. 2026
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When planting pea seeds, proper soil preparation is essential.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The nonprofit is urging both governments to ensure the mammals will not be used for breeding if they are transported to the United States.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
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Inside a lab in Redland, behind double doors that require a lab coat to enter, a team of scientists is breeding a tiny terror.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There are also concerns about implanting even primitive embryo models created from stem cells into anything that resembles a human womb.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
23 Dec. 2025
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For the very first time, researchers captured incredible real-time, three-dimensional images and videos of a human embryo implanting into artificial uterine tissue.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The report goes further, explaining that most failures stem not from the models themselves, but from poor integration into real workflows, overreliance on generic tools, and a tendency for companies to treat AI as a standalone experiment rather than embedding it into core operations.—
Michael Wystrach,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
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Phia already sits between more than 1 million users and 6,200 retail brands, embedding AI directly into consumers’ natural shopping flow, according to the company.—
Nicole Casperson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instilling. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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