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
Carson noted the importance of instilling the belief of American exceptionalism in children.
—
Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026
McGonigle, by the way, grew up in Pennsylvania with his dad instilling hitting lessons derived from watching Tony Gwynn.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
The agents and officers aren’t trained in airport security, and critics say the armed officers are instilling fear in American travelers.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Watching players grow, instilling confidence, laughing and, of course, winning with them, is still important for Auriemmma, who with Dailey by his side is in the stretch run of his 41st season and about to turn 72.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
That focusing on strengths, such as literature, humor, music and resilience, is a way of instilling confidence, honor and hope for the future, especially in impressionable youth.
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Half of that is instilling that attack mentality.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Thank you to my musical theatre teachers for instilling this in me, and for the years of tough love.
—Sharareh Drury, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
My dad’s strong work ethic and study skills were inevitably passed down to my siblings, instilling in us a belief that good grades were non-negotiable.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026
McGonigle, by the way, grew up in Pennsylvania with his dad instilling hitting lessons derived from watching Tony Gwynn.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
The agents and officers aren’t trained in airport security, and critics say the armed officers are instilling fear in American travelers.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
Watching players grow, instilling confidence, laughing and, of course, winning with them, is still important for Auriemmma, who with Dailey by his side is in the stretch run of his 41st season and about to turn 72.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
That focusing on strengths, such as literature, humor, music and resilience, is a way of instilling confidence, honor and hope for the future, especially in impressionable youth.
—David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Half of that is instilling that attack mentality.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Thank you to my musical theatre teachers for instilling this in me, and for the years of tough love.
—Sharareh Drury, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Mar. 2026
My dad’s strong work ethic and study skills were inevitably passed down to my siblings, instilling in us a belief that good grades were non-negotiable.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instilling
Verb
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Earth Day on the 22nd is a wonderful anchor for habits around sustainability like planting something, spending more intentional time outside, or cutting back on single-use plastics.—
Cheryl Russell,
Oc Register,
19 Apr. 2026
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One technique that's caught on is intercropping, says Vellimalar — planting other crops in the space between the pepper plants.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This time of year, as calves arrive, ranchers decide whether to retain young cows called heifers and calves for breeding herds, and a big factor is pasture conditions, said Bernt Nelson, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Affordability issues explain part of the apprehension; increasingly, young people have been priced out of the housing market, breeding a resentment that erodes faith in institutions — and in capitalism itself.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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Attorney Ben Ikuta claims that Acacio continued to perform medical procedures on patients while his license was suspended, including performing transfers and implanting embryos.—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By embedding access, authorship and representation into the filmmaking, the project reflects the principles of self-determination and leadership that the movement demanded.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
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The company has pivoted to embedding its own AI chatbot into ChatGPT to streamline procedures, but shoppers still seem to value the decision-making that accompanies shopping.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instilling. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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