Synonym Chooser

How is the word innate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of innate are congenital, hereditary, inborn, and inbred. While all these words mean "not acquired after birth," innate applies to qualities or characteristics that are part of one's inner essential nature.

an innate sense of fair play

How are the words congenital and hereditary related as synonyms of innate?

Both congenital and hereditary refer to what is acquired before or at birth, the former to things acquired during fetal development and the latter to things transmitted from one's ancestors.

a congenital heart murmur
eye color is hereditary

When would inborn be a good substitute for innate?

The meanings of inborn and innate largely overlap; however, inborn suggests a quality or tendency either actually present at birth or so marked and deep-seated as to seem so.

her inborn love of nature

When might inbred be a better fit than innate?

The synonyms inbred and innate are sometimes interchangeable, but inbred suggests something either acquired from parents by heredity or so deeply rooted and ingrained as to seem acquired in that way.

inbred political loyalties

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 innate Sveen said he was struck by Elwell’s innate curiosity about the world. Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025 In all likelihood, this asymmetry is one of many byproducts of historically sexist expectations: where cooking, cleaning and caregiving are viewed as an almost innate responsibility for women. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025 Jones had the innate ability to stretch the field while also securing contested balls against some of the toughest cornerbacks the NFL has ever seen. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025 Their violence — in medieval bestiaries, unicorns are regularly said to have beef with elephants and take them down by goring their bellies — is contrasted with their gentleness towards maidens and innate understanding of purity. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for innate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for innate
Adjective
  • Photograph: Courtesy of Sean Hartnoll For decades, physicists and mathematicians have wanted to show that these chaotic dynamics are not an artifact of the simplifying assumption of decoupling, but inherent to black holes.
    Lyndie Chiou, Wired News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Watch less often and watch more than one network, taking inherent and obvious biases into account.
    Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • For the Reposado expression, the tequila is then aged in American white oak barrels, a process that adds structure and refinement without overwhelming the agave's intrinsic character.
    Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • With more complete data, statisticians could then estimate the intrinsic value of activities through peoples’ stated and revealed preferences and create a framework for measuring consumption based on how people use their time rather than on material spending.
    Brian Deese, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Glyphosate is used widely as an integral part of raising crops including corn, soybeans and cotton genetically modified to resist its killer effect, and as a desiccant on potatoes, sugar beets, wheat and other crops just before harvest.
    John Klar, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2025
  • In Super Nintendo World, for example, restaurants and stores are integral parts of the narrative journey — offering moments of discovery and interaction, not simply transactions.
    Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Understanding and regulating the trade in shark and ray meat is no longer optional but essential.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Every child in New York deserves the chance to learn basic literacy, numeracy, science, and civics — skills essential for participating in society, holding a job, and fulfilling civic duties like voting or serving on a jury.
    David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Innate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/innate. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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