Meaning & use

instilling

verb·Academic

Gradually causing a feeling, idea, or attitude to become firmly established in someone's mind.

See it in a sentence

Good teachers focus on instilling curiosity rather than simply memorized facts.

Her parents succeeded in instilling a strong sense of honesty in their children.

A note on using this word

Present participle of "instill"; almost always used with abstract nouns like values, confidence, or fear, and usually followed by "in" someone.

Words with a similar meaning

ingraininginculcating

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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