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
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
His successor, Bob Bradley, emphasized discipline, fitness and accountability, maintaining competitive standards while instilling a resilient team mentality.
—Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 23 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
Just keep instilling confidence in me.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Marlow Stern, Variety, 25 May 2026
His successor, Bob Bradley, emphasized discipline, fitness and accountability, maintaining competitive standards while instilling a resilient team mentality.
—Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 23 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
Just keep instilling confidence in me.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instilling
Verb
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Consider planting seeds for a second harvest of okra, squash, and cucumbers that mature quickly.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 May 2026
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Try planting a ring of parsley around the trunks of apple trees as part of a fruit guild, or grow a few parsley plants in pots and move them beneath the trees when the parsley starts flowering.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 May 2026
Verb
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In 1985, a breeding population of the black-and-white Aedes albopictus mosquito hitched a ride on a Japanese tire shipment bound for Texas.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
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By ignoring how selection pressures work, the fishing industry has ended up breeding its future generations primarily from smaller fish with less reproductive ability.—
Owen D. Jones,
The Conversation,
26 May 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 firms pulling ahead are not just embedding quality earlier.—
Manish Gupta,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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By embedding resale opportunities straight into the initial buying destination, Naia creates early indicators of long-term value, encourages a continuous cycle of wardrobe circulation and positions itself as the definitive global destination for independent fashion.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instilling. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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