Dictionary Definition
instill
Verb
1 impart gradually; "Her presence instilled faith
into the children"; "transfuse love of music into the students"
[syn: transfuse]
2 enter drop by drop; "instill medication into my
eye" [syn: instil]
3 produce or try to produce a vivid impression
of; "Mother tried to ingrain respect for our elders in us" [syn:
impress, ingrain]
4 teach and impress by frequent repetitions or
admonitions; "inculcate values into the young generation" [syn:
inculcate, infuse]
5 fill, as with a certain quality; "The heavy
traffic tinctures the air with carbon monoxide" [syn: impregnate, infuse, tincture]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Alternative spellings
- instil UK
Pronunciation
- /ɪnˈstɪl/, /In"stIl/
- Rhymes with: -ɪl
Etymology
From instillare.Verb
- To cause a quality to become part of someone's nature.
- It is important to instill discipline in a child at an early age.
See also
Translations
To cause a quality to become part of someone's
nature
- Dutch: bijbrengen
- Finnish: iskostaa, juurruttaa
- French: inculquer
- Greek: ενσταλάζω
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
beat into, besprinkle, brainwash, breathe, brew, catechize, color, condition, decoct, dredge, dye, engrave, entincture, etch, flavor, grave, imbrue, imbue, implant, impregnate, impress, imprint, inculcate, indoctrinate, infiltrate, infix, infuse, inoculate, inscribe, inseminate, leaven, penetrate, permeate, pervade, program, saturate, season, stamp, steep, suffuse, temper, tincture, tinge, transfuse