instill

UK/ɪnˈstɪl/US/ɪnˈstɪl/

verbC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,160 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: instilled, instilling, instills

To instill is to gradually plant values or confidence in someone's mind. Instill discipline, instilled a love of reading, instill confidence.

The slowness is built in — you instill over years, where you teach in an afternoon. It takes values and habits rather than facts. This is the American spelling; British writing has instil with one l. The Latin means to drip in.

Definitions of instill

1verbinstillTo gradually plant values or confidence in someone's mind.C1
“Her parents instilled in her a lifelong love of reading.”

instill is a planting.

Also accepted in games: instil

Where it comes from

Latin
instillō
English, today
instill

Borrowed from Latin instillō.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Sharper Verbs

Practise this word

instill in the wild

The main purpose of the Silver Falcons is to enhance the image of the South African Air Force, encourage recruitment and instill national pride through public display.
Silver Falcons
Before this point, the Derg was able to instill hope among the people that the revolution could remain bloodless.
Massacre of the Sixty
Secondary to teaching language skills, the exercise of dictation has also been used to introduce students to literary works, and to instill morals.
Dictation (exercise)
The story is commonly handed down by parents to their children in order to instill moral values, as it is grounded in Buddhist thought.
Kasa Jizō

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

← Vocabulary