Meaning & use
inculcated
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“inculcated” is a form of “inculcate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitiveformal
Past tense and past participle of 'inculcate': fixed an idea, habit or belief firmly in someone's mind through repeated teaching.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually a value or habit: inculcated respect in the students.
Patterns
- inculcate something in someone
- inculcate something into someone
- inculcate someone with something
Her parents inculcated a love of reading in all four children.
The army inculcated strict discipline into new recruits.
Honesty was inculcated in him from an early age.
Word forms
| base form | inculcate |
|---|---|
| third person singular | inculcates |
| past tense | inculcated |
| past participle | inculcated |
| -ing form | inculcating |
Common combinations
- inculcated values
- The values inculcated at home shaped his career.
- inculcated in someone
- Politeness was inculcated in them as children.
- inculcated into someone
- A sense of duty was inculcated into the cadets.
- deeply inculcated
- Her habits were deeply inculcated by years of practice.
- inculcated with something
- They were inculcated with a fear of authority.
Synonyms and how they differ
- instilled
- Very close and more common; it suggests gradually putting a feeling or idea in someone, while inculcated stresses repetition.
- drilled
- Suggests harsh, repetitive practice, which inculcated does not necessarily imply.
- taught
- A plain, general word, whereas inculcated suggests the lesson is deep and permanent.
- indoctrinated
- Implies teaching beliefs uncritically, often with a negative tone that inculcated lacks.
Opposites
Word family
- inculcate verb
- to fix an idea firmly through repetition
- inculcation noun
- the process of inculcating
- inculcating verb
- the -ing form of inculcate
Commonly confused: inculcated or inculpated? inculcated or inoculated?
inculcated vs inculpated
'Inculpated' means blamed or shown to be guilty; it is a rare legal word unrelated to teaching.
inculcated vs inoculated
'Inoculated' means given a vaccine; it looks similar but is about medicine, not teaching.
Practice
Which word best completes the sentence? 'Teachers at the school ___ a sense of responsibility in every student.'
Choose one answer.
'Inculcated' means taught firmly through repetition. 'Inoculated' means vaccinated, and the others do not fit with 'a sense of responsibility'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “inculcated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.