instill

verb

in·​still in-ˈstil How to pronounce instill (audio)
instilled; instilling; instills
Synonyms of instill

transitive verb

1
: to impart gradually
instilling a love of learning in children
2
: to cause to enter drop by drop
instill medication into the infected eye
instillation
ˌin(t)-stə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce instill (audio)
-(ˌ)sti-
noun
instiller
in-ˈsti-lər How to pronounce instill (audio)
noun
instillment
in-ˈstil-mənt How to pronounce instill (audio)
noun

Synonyms of instill

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for instill

implant, inculcate, instill, inseminate, infix mean to introduce into the mind.

implant implies teaching that makes for permanence of what is taught.

implanted a love of reading in her students

inculcate implies persistent or repeated efforts to impress on the mind.

tried to inculcate in him high moral standards

instill stresses gradual, gentle imparting of knowledge over a long period of time.

instill traditional values in your children

inseminate applies to a sowing of ideas in many minds so that they spread through a class or nation.

inseminated an unquestioning faith in technology

infix stresses firmly inculcating a habit of thought.

infixed a chronic cynicism

Examples of instill in a Sentence

a charismatic leader who instilled in his followers a passionate commitment to the cause
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In her interview with Axios Miami’s Sommer Brugal, Donalds said that nothing can replace the human connection and spark that a teacher can instill in their students. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026 What to read next Shows like Cowboy Bebop had a ragtag team of underdogs exploring the solar system, instilling lessons about loneliness and existentialism. — George Yang, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026 All the life decisions that followed — including those on style — have been somewhat shaped by the values and mindset the motorsport has instilled in him. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026 One reason these stories of Guadagnino, Levinson, and Sorkin resonate is because of our Hitchcockian concept of directing that film school has instilled in our cultural understanding of how movies are supposed to be made. — Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for instill

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin instillare, from in- + stillare to drip, from stilla drop

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of instill was in the 15th century

Rhymes for instill

See All Rhymes for instill

Browse Nearby Words

instil
instill
instiller
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Instill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instill. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

instill

verb
in·​still in-ˈstil How to pronounce instill (audio)
: to gradually cause to feel or have
instill a love of music
instillation
ˌin(t)-stə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce instill (audio)
noun
instiller noun

Medical Definition

instill

transitive verb
in·​still in-ˈstil How to pronounce instill (audio)
instilled; instilling
: to cause to enter especially drop by drop
instill medication into the infected eye
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All