Meaning & use
instill
To gradually establish an idea, feeling, or quality in someone's mind over time.
See it in a sentence
Good teachers instill a lifelong love of reading in their students.
Her parents worked hard to instill honesty and discipline in their children from a young age.
A note on using this word
Instill is almost always used with abstract qualities like values, confidence, or fear, paired with 'in' before the person affected.
Words with a similar meaning
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