inculcate
verb
ˈin-(ˌ)
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Sometimes before a lesson sinks in, you’ve got to go over it in your mind for a long time. The same is true for when you want to make a path: you have to walk over it again and again. The connection between walking and learning is at the heart of inculcate, which comes from a form of the Latin verb inculcare, meaning “to tread on.” In Latin, inculcare possesses both literal and figurative meanings, referring to either the act of walking over something or to that of impressing something upon the mind, often by way of steady repetition. It is the figurative sense that survives with inculcate, which was first used in English in the 16th century. Since then, the word has kept the meaning of impressing facts, ideas, or ideals on someone through repetition. If you have trouble remembering inculcate’s definition, you may find it helpful to know that it’s a synonym of the word instill (“to impart gradually”), which shares the Latin prefix in-.
Examples of inculcate in a Sentence
Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Part of the emotional appeal of Reaganism was that there were left-of-center reprimands that seemed like an insult, an effort to inculcate shame, an effort to cast American history in a way that wasn’t sufficiently celebratory.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Notably, said Kriner, individuals who are inculcated with a sense of nihilism do not commit crimes to achieve an ideological goal.
—Odette Yousef, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025
Another important way is to inculcate mindfulness by observing anger as a passing emotion rather than being all consumed by it.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for inculcate
Cite this Entry
“Inculcate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inculcate. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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inculcate
verb
ˈin-(ˌ)kəl-
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