Synonym Chooser

How does the verb suffuse differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of suffuse are imbue, infuse, ingrain, inoculate, and leaven. While all these words mean "to introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout," suffuse implies a spreading through of something that gives an unusual color or quality.

a room suffused with light

When might imbue be a better fit than suffuse?

The meanings of imbue and suffuse largely overlap; however, imbue implies the introduction of a quality that fills and permeates the whole being.

imbue students with intellectual curiosity

When is it sensible to use infuse instead of suffuse?

The words infuse and suffuse can be used in similar contexts, but infuse implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance.

new members infused enthusiasm into the club

Where would ingrain be a reasonable alternative to suffuse?

The words ingrain and suffuse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ingrain, used only in the passive or past participle, suggests the deep implanting of a quality or trait.

clung to ingrained habits

When can inoculate be used instead of suffuse?

In some situations, the words inoculate and suffuse are roughly equivalent. However, inoculate implies an imbuing or implanting with a germinal idea and often suggests stealth or subtlety.

an electorate inoculated with dangerous ideas

When is leaven a more appropriate choice than suffuse?

While in some cases nearly identical to suffuse, leaven implies introducing something that enlivens, tempers, or markedly alters the total quality.

a serious play leavened with comic moments

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suffuse But the hot gas that suffused the space between the galaxies in each cluster would have crashed head-on. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025 His narration is a constant pleasure — mournful, wry, and suffused with a world-weary poetry. Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025 An international cult favorite, Lee is revered for the philosophical nerve that suffuses his rigorously inventive melodramas, which variously pick apart the complexities of Korean society. Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2025 Price embedded himself into the lives of Jersey City drug dealers and the police officers assigned to chase them down, whose enforcement of the war on drugs was suffused with bitter cynicism and weariness. Kevin Lozano, New Yorker, 6 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for suffuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suffuse
Verb
  • Thus, current fears reinforce a pre-existing localism, and infuse it with new and intense emotions.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Across almost 20 novels, the British author spun fantastical tales with unsentimental wit, infusing his work with darkly morbid humor, blithe child endangerment, rotten and antagonistic adults, and a willingness to occasionally laugh at the misfortune of others.
    Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The thermal lance Caan uses to penetrate the safe was Santucci’s own burning bar.
    Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Kim has called for the development of multi-warhead systems that would improve the chances of penetrating missile defenses, and some experts say the Hwasong-20 could be designed for that purpose.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Taylor’s cerebral bent is nothing new, but here, it’s imbued with a fresh, tentative sweetness, and anchored by a genuinely swoony summer romance.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
  • That’s because, as it’s repeated, the masses will start treating the meme as if it’s imbued with meaning.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But amid the utter devastation of two years of war, a sense of gloom pervades.
    Saher Alghorra, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Labor actions have swept through two of the busiest ports in Northern Europe, further compounding the congestion that has pervaded in the region throughout 2025.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Semafor traced it to a pair of US life insurers that had funneled policyholders’ cash to 777’s Bermudan reinsurer, which invested it into sports teams, airplanes, a payday lender, and a failing budget airline, among other bets generally unsuited for insurance guarantees.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 18 Oct. 2025
  • With deadlines set, delayed and often re-announced with each press conference, companies can’t plan or invest.
    Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But the Brewers are an example of a franchise that has established a philosophy that has permeated the clubhouse.
    Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Jordan’s greatness has permeated every sport, with baseball players like Jazz Chisholm, football players like Jalen Hurts of the NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles, to soccer clubs like Paris Saint-Germain rocking the Jumpman.
    Devin Robertson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • On the play Warner got hurt, the 49ers were missing a right defensive end, and coaches mistakenly assumed practice-squad call-up Trevis Gipson stayed on the field to fill that role after racing down on kickoff coverage and making the initial hit on a tackle.
    Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
  • So does Stagier Bar, with creations like dumplings filled with lomo saltado, a Peruvian dish of sautéed beef that hints at the chef Joel Baeza’s Latin American roots.
    Emilio Parra Doiztua, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • After the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Conn., President Barack Obama had his then-Vice President Joe Biden meet with representatives of the video game industry to discuss whether their products somehow inculcated violence in society.
    Time, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Part of the emotional appeal of Reaganism was that there were left-of-center reprimands that seemed like an insult, an effort to inculcate shame, an effort to cast American history in a way that wasn’t sufficiently celebratory.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Suffuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suffuse. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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