inculcate
verb
ˈin-(ˌ)
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Sometimes before a lesson sinks in, you’ve got to go over it in your mind for a long time. The same is true for when you want to make a path: you have to walk over it again and again. The connection between walking and learning is at the heart of inculcate, which comes from a form of the Latin verb inculcare, meaning “to tread on.” In Latin, inculcare possesses both literal and figurative meanings, referring to either the act of walking over something or to that of impressing something upon the mind, often by way of steady repetition. It is the figurative sense that survives with inculcate, which was first used in English in the 16th century. Since then, the word has kept the meaning of impressing facts, ideas, or ideals on someone through repetition. If you have trouble remembering inculcate’s definition, you may find it helpful to know that it’s a synonym of the word instill (“to impart gradually”), which shares the Latin prefix in-.
Synonyms
Examples of inculcate in a Sentence
Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
Sensing such threats, organizations are increasingly creating dedicated structures and processes to inculcate AI ethics proactively.
—Swanand Deodhar,
favour Borokini,
ben Waber, Harvard Business Review, 5 Aug. 2024
Advocates of Maori in New Zealand and of Hawaiian have emphasized the importance of inculcating these languages in early childhood development and education as part of their successful revival.
—Ross Perlin, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
In other words, there isn’t any sort of cultural insulation that would protect Black men from negative messages in the manosphere, and the hosts subtly use language and imagery common to Black culture to inculcate Black listeners to their views.
—Steven Dashiell, The Conversation, 15 May 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Inculcate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inculcate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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inculcate
verb
ˈin-(ˌ)kəl-
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