inculcate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
inculcates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
inculcated,
past participle, past
-
inculcating
present participle
-
to implant by repeated statement or admonition; teach persistently and earnestly (usually followed by upon orin ).
to inculcate virtue in the young.
-
to cause or influence (someone) to accept an idea or feeling (usually followed bywith ).
Socrates inculcated his pupils with the love of truth.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
inculcatesimple
-
inculcatessimple
-
have inculcatedperfect
-
has inculcatedperfect
-
am inculcatingprogressive
-
are inculcatingprogressive
-
is inculcatingprogressive
-
have been inculcatingperfect progressive
-
has been inculcatingperfect progressive
Past
-
inculcatedsimple
-
had inculcatedperfect
-
was inculcatingprogressive
-
were inculcatingprogressive
-
had been inculcatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inculcate
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin inculcātus, past participle of inculcāre “to trample, impress, stuff in,” equivalent to in- “in” + culc- (variant, in noninitial position, of calc-, stem of calx “heel”) + -ātus past participle suffix; see in- 2, -ate 1
Explanation
To inculcate is to teach through frequent instruction. If you repeatedly tell your brother how important it is to be responsible, then you’re trying to inculcate in him a sense of responsibility. The word inculcate traces back to the Latin word inculcare, meaning “to force upon or to stamp in.” If anyone has even tried to inculcate you with something, it may seem as if something is being stamped into your brain — over and over and over. A key thing to remember about this word is repetition: something, such as a value or a belief, is instilled in the brain by the persistent restating of its importance.
Vocabulary lists containing inculcate
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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!
100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know
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!
Brave New World
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:
To tell one’s beads regularly requires a measure of the discipline it is meant to inculcate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
"I think you need to try and inculcate people into an understanding of the structures of governance, how you can engage in those structures."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025
As Sagan wrote in his 1985 novel Contact, an awareness of extraterrestrial life would serve to inculcate the “power of the planetary perspective.”
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2023
It can be more difficult for employers to inculcate values and for workers to learn from one another.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2023
Rut wordless conditioning is crude and wholesale; cannot bring home the finer distinctions, cannot inculcate the more complex courses of behaviour.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
This year brought a late, travel-related cancellation from the gifted pianist Utsav Lal, who inculcates the Indian classical tradition into his accompaniment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Athletic contests are a schoolhouse of democracy that inculcates the habits of civic engagement necessary for a free people to thrive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2024
Despite being physically gone, Numa continues to narrate the course of the film, a deliberate storytelling choice by Bayona that inculcates the theme of consumption as a type of communion.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2024
“One of the things about recovery that I think people sometimes overlook is the fact that it inculcates certain values. Be honest. Be accountable. Help other people. Apologize when you’re wrong.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2020
He especially inculcates its advantages on all mothers of families, as likely to increase to a remarkable extent the personal charms of their daughters.
From How to Get Strong and How to Stay So by William Garden Blaikie
We were inculcated with the importance of charity, love toward all, good works and humility, and urged to carry those virtues into adulthood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
It suggests a household that lacks rules, or plays by rules other than the ones most of us have been inculcated with.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
It inculcated a deep, intimidating culture of secrecy among its employees and made them sign aggressive agreements to that effect.
From Slate ● May 30, 2024
Mallory Mills, 15, who roams the sidelines at football games as Toby the Turkey, Cuero High’s colorful mascot, said growing up in town inculcated a reverence for the bird.
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
If it played a role in disenchanting the world, it did so precisely because it was effectively inculcated among the educated, clerical and lay, male and female.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Authorities also sent Tibetan children to state-run boarding schools at ever-younger ages, educating them predominantly in Mandarin and inculcating Chinese culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
“This is not about enforcing standards,” she said, “it’s about inculcating a particular value system within the officer corps.”
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2025
“When you play the drum, it becomes an extension of your heartbeat, inculcating self-esteem by resuscitating your ancient DNA,” Ngwa said.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 21, 2023
It’s an irresistible ditty that starts by contrasting a text-to-speech voice inculcating on Isaac Newton with Pearce and musician Sharron Kraus singing about the sun’s mass.
From Scientific American ● May 27, 2022
It gives advice with regard to the measures he should pursue to attain his object, particularly inculcating the best means to gain private friends, and acquire general popularity.
From History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Volume II by John Dunlop
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.
