incarnate
Americanadjective
-
embodied in flesh; given a bodily, especially a human, form.
a devil incarnate.
-
personified or typified, as a quality or idea.
chivalry incarnate.
-
flesh-colored or crimson.
verb (used with object)
-
incarnates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
incarnated,
past participle, past
-
incarnating
present participle
-
to put into or represent in a concrete form, as an idea.
The building incarnates the architect's latest theories.
-
to be the embodiment or type of.
Her latest book incarnates the literature of our day.
-
to embody in flesh; invest with a bodily, especially a human, form.
a man who incarnated wisdom and compassion.
adjective
-
possessing bodily form, esp the human form
a devil incarnate
-
personified or typified
stupidity incarnate
-
(esp of plant parts) flesh-coloured or pink
verb
-
to give a bodily or concrete form to
-
to be representative or typical of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
incarnatesimple
-
incarnatessimple
-
have incarnatedperfect
-
has incarnatedperfect
-
am incarnatingprogressive
-
are incarnatingprogressive
-
is incarnatingprogressive
-
have been incarnatingperfect progressive
-
has been incarnatingperfect progressive
Past
-
incarnatedsimple
-
had incarnatedperfect
-
was incarnatingprogressive
-
were incarnatingprogressive
-
had been incarnatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of incarnate
First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Late Latin incarnātus, past participle of incarnāre “to make into flesh,” equivalent to in- “in” + carn- “flesh” + -ātus past participle suffix; see in- 2, carnal, -ate 1
Explanation
Incarnate means “having a bodily form.” If you encounter someone who pulls off butterflies’ wings for fun, you might describe that person as “evil incarnate.” The meaning of incarnate is precisely what its Latin roots suggest. The prefix in- means “in” and caro means “flesh,” so incarnate means “in the flesh.” The word can be used in positive or negative situations, but it always describes an unusual, possibly miraculous instance in which something that can’t normally be seen or touched assumes a bodily form. For example, the Christian religion was founded on the belief that Jesus was God incarnate.
Vocabulary lists containing incarnate
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Death of a Salesman
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words from Shakespearean Insults
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Islamic fasting is oriented toward submission to divine will, while Christian penance is animated by gratitude for the incarnate God who suffered, died and rose again for the salvation of humanity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
The former cop and Secret Service agent spent nearly a decade losing three congressional races in two different states before settling into a groove as steroids incarnate with a microphone.
From Slate ● Mar. 1, 2025
Rep. Matt Gaetz said, “Mr. Weiss was here incarnate, but not particularly in spirit.”
From Washington Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
Afterwards Kolisi, the Springboks' skipper and spirit incarnate, spoke about distinctive mood music that accompanies his team's matches.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2023
He was insane, the devil incarnate, as bad as it got.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Santos incarnates its venal and ridiculous side, the part rooted in reality TV and get-rich-quick schemes.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
Gawain, whom Patel inhabits even more assuredly than he did David Copperfield, himself incarnates that religio-cultural tension.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2021
The short piece, developed for this program, comes from a section of her solo work, “Hope Hunt and the Ascension Into Lazarus,” in which Doherty, an Irish choreographer, incarnates shifting ideas of masculinity.
From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2021
If a stentorian voice once prevailed on public radio, the model of the host that Glass incarnates, and that Brian Reed embodies on “S-Town”—a sensitive, hesitating, transparently liberal male—has become equally ubiquitous today.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 12, 2018
Art is never democratic, but it is all the stronger when it incarnates the woes and joys of the people—not quite the same thing as being composed by the "people."
From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by James Huneker
"She truly incarnated the love and passion of Jesus for people here," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Robert Badinter never ceased to advocate the Enlightenment,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media, hailing him as a “figure of the century” who incarnated the “French spirit.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 9, 2024
Many people dislike her decisions, but there has been little organized protest—no one I spoke to could name a politician who incarnated the opposition.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2023
As an art form in which human beings are incarnated, drama is a natural conduit for metaphysics and ontology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
When he entered a tournament, dressed in a khaki shirt and pants and dark tie and displaying that mustache, it was as if a doppelgänger of Der Fuehrer had been incarnated.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The dancers were incarnating the tormented souls of “Inferno,” the opening section of the full-length “Dante Project,” which is to have its premiere on Thursday.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2021
The counselors known as Jerry, who serve as vessels through which the universe expresses itself and guide new souls through the process of incarnating on Earth, are illustrated in the film as two-dimensional line figures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2020
Which are different, but not dissimilar ways of incarnating a better, kinder world and more authentic relationships.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 27, 2019
The first softens as it goes, incarnating Jesus’ earthly despair:
From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2016
D represents this infusion of life into matter; it is descent and involution, death or forgetfulness, perhaps, for a time to the incarnating power.
From AE in the Irish Theosophist by George William Russell
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
