Meaning & use
instill
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To put a feeling, habit, or belief into someone's mind a little at a time, so that it becomes part of them.
Grammar: Takes an object and usually 'in' or 'into': instill discipline in children.
Patterns
- instill something in someone
- instill something into someone
Her grandmother instilled a love of reading in all the grandchildren.
The coach tried to instill confidence in the young players.
Years of strict training had instilled in him a deep respect for rules.
verbtransitivemedicaltechnical
To pour a liquid slowly into something, drop by drop, especially as medicine.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with 'into': instill drops into the eye.
Patterns
- instill something into something
The nurse will instill two drops into each eye.
Pharmacists advise patients to instill the solution before bedtime.
Word forms
| third person singular | instills |
|---|---|
| past tense | instilled |
| past participle | instilled |
| -ing form | instilling |
Common combinations
- instill confidence
- A calm teacher can instill confidence in nervous students.
- instill discipline
- The program aims to instill discipline through daily routines.
- instill values
- Parents try to instill good values early.
- instill fear
- The harsh punishments were meant to instill fear in the crowd.
- instill a sense of
- The trip helped instill a sense of responsibility.
Synonyms and how they differ
- inculcate
- Inculcate is more formal and suggests teaching something by steady repetition, while instill is wider and covers feelings as well.
- implant
- Implant sounds firmer and more permanent, as if the idea were planted deliberately rather than absorbed gradually.
- foster
- Foster means to help something grow that already has a start, whereas instill places it there first.
- imbue
- Imbue is built around the person who is filled with a quality: you imbue someone with courage but instill courage in someone.
Opposites
Word family
- instillation noun
- the act of instilling, especially of drops of liquid
- instilled adjective
- firmly planted, as in 'a deeply instilled habit'
- still noun
- the distilling equipment sharing the Latin root for 'drop'
Commonly confused: instill or install? instill or distill?
instill vs install
Install means to fit equipment or software in place, while instill is about putting qualities in a mind.
instill vs distill
Distill means to purify a liquid by heating and condensing it, not to plant a feeling.
Practice
Choose the correct word: 'The teacher worked hard to ____ a love of science in her class.'
Choose one answer.
Instill is the verb for gradually building a feeling in people. Install is a common mix-up but refers to fitting equipment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “instill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.