as in plants
to set permanently in the consciousness or mind-set
a charismatic leader who instilled in his followers a passionate commitment to the cause
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 instills
What’s more, the 102-year-old company has a distinct corporate culture — one that still pays homage to founder Walt and instills in its employees (known internally as cast members) the need to serve as guardians of Disney’s treasured characters and brands.
—
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
The detailed yet childlike animation helps bring to life a world only one woman can see and instills levity into this deeply moving story.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
There is personal growth taking place inside the four walls of this school that instills a sense of somebodyness in its students.
—Walter Fields, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2026
My earthy and meditative Mars gives me a reflective nature and also instills in me a zest for positivity.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Likewise, any major creator of AI models unwittingly instills biases in its chatbots that are then difficult to expunge.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2025
Lyster said the way Amazon handles disability accommodation requests instills fear of termination or retaliation in its employees.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 13 Nov. 2025
Now a community organizer and member of an anti-violence collective who works in the favela, Medeiros is no stranger to how the Red Command instills fear in its territories.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Do stretches, deep breathing, meditation or anything that engages your physical body and instills calm.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
The detailed yet childlike animation helps bring to life a world only one woman can see and instills levity into this deeply moving story.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
There is personal growth taking place inside the four walls of this school that instills a sense of somebodyness in its students.
—Walter Fields, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2026
My earthy and meditative Mars gives me a reflective nature and also instills in me a zest for positivity.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Likewise, any major creator of AI models unwittingly instills biases in its chatbots that are then difficult to expunge.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2025
Lyster said the way Amazon handles disability accommodation requests instills fear of termination or retaliation in its employees.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 13 Nov. 2025
Now a community organizer and member of an anti-violence collective who works in the favela, Medeiros is no stranger to how the Red Command instills fear in its territories.
—Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Do stretches, deep breathing, meditation or anything that engages your physical body and instills calm.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instills
Verb
-
For a help defender to draw a charge, he must be set when the offensive player plants his foot to go airborne.—
CJ Moore,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Ma crawls toward you and plants her palms on your cheeks.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Which breeds matched with our family?—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Increasingly, companies are looking at how to make curiosity, which breeds innovation, part of their culture.—
Barnaby Lashbrooke,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The company embeds in e-commerce payments and point-of-sale systems to show consumers the environmental impact of their purchase and offers them the option to support a local project to compensate for that impact.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Its architecture embeds intelligent agents directly into each aircraft, enabling autonomous formation control, routing, and obstacle avoidance.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Louisiana dirty rice is a tasty meat-and-rice dish that roots its flavor in aromatic Cajun seasoning and the holy trinity vegetables.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2026
-
For Pritchard, whose Stanford roots date back to 2005, the chance to return as head coach was both emotional and deeply personal.—
Harold Gutmann,
Mercury News,
3 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instills. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
