inherently

adverb

as in fundamentally
by natural character or ability the judge's observation that women are not inherently better at parenting than men

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inherently The lift rod design inherently has more snag points that trap debris, so clogs are more likely to occur. — Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 30 June 2026 The bottom line Using a credit card for pet care isn't inherently reckless. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 29 June 2026 Audiences don’t inherently want superheroes to be part of a universe. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 29 June 2026 Beyond that, high school pitchers are inherently unpredictable. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 5 July 2026 Many highly successful, inherently profitable brands go bankrupt trying to maintain this fragile balancing act. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 30 June 2026 More broadly, the idea that White players are inherently inferior no longer matches reality. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 Investment conviction is not a certainty because markets are inherently uncertain. — Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 Still, given the inherently mysterious nature of UAPs, Gallaudet didn’t rule out potential blockbuster breakthroughs as a result of the council’s work. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inherently
  1. fundamentally
  2. naturally
  3. intrinsically
  4. basically
  5. essentially
Adverb
  • The geography of national security has fundamentally changed.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Rogers said Amazon fundamentally changed the industry’s thinking by prioritizing customer service over decades of traditional inventory optimization.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 2 July 2026
Definition of fundamentally
Adverb
  • Manager Kurt Suzuki is naturally superstitious, and the Pikachu didn’t faze him much.
    — Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Another method is to cut off oxygen to the fire by using a snuffing lid, then let the fire burn out naturally.
    — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 4 July 2026
Definition of naturally
Adverb
  • Reading and travel are intrinsically linked.
    — Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Marsch’s side is yet to score from such a situation, but their intent is clear and intrinsically linked with their style.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of intrinsically
Adverb
  • Gabriella paid off most of his entourage to leave him and the band alone and is now basically his own private Joe Jackson, pressuring him to record nonstop.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 6 July 2026
  • First, Season 4 basically just dropped a lot of characters from the central story.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of basically
Adverb
  • The Rockets essentially dumped Finney-Smith in a cost-cutting move after making some free agent transactions, notably signing guard Marcus Smart, and surrendered three second-rounders to the Hornets to seal the deal.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2026
  • The Maine Principals' Association allows students to compete on teams that match their gender identity, and the state's human rights act essentially requires such policies be enforced.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of essentially

Browse Nearby Words

inherent
inherently
inheritable
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inherently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inherently. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All