ingredient
Americannoun
-
something that enters as an element into a mixture.
Flour, eggs, and sugar are the main ingredients in the cake.
-
a constituent element of anything; component.
the ingredients of political success.
noun
Synonym Usage
See element.
Etymology
Origin of ingredient
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English from Latin ingredient- (stem of ingrediēns ), present participle of ingredī “to go or step into, commence,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + -gredient- “going”; see gradient
Explanation
An ingredient is one part of a mixture. For example, if you're making chocolate chip cookies, flour is just one ingredient you'll need. Ingredient comes from the Latin word ingredientem, meaning "that which enters into." It's not just for cookies. If you're in the lab mixing a chemical compound, you carefully add one ingredient after the next and record the results (and hope nothing blows up). It's also an element or factor of something, such as how that song you wrote has all the ingredients to be a sure-fire hit! Remember that it ends in -ent, since often what you Eat has ingrediEnts.
Vocabulary lists containing ingredient
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 1
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National Cookie Day
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 1
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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.
While praising the VA for reserving the contract for businesses owned by disabled veterans, Sherin said the plan lacks the ingredient he views as most important.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
The company says it is confident in its food safety protocols and acted quickly to fix the problem, which was tied to a quality issue in an ingredient from a supplier.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Paul Robinson: There are players in this England team now that have played in these big games before, so that might just be the missing ingredient that gets us over the line this time.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
The Costo-style habituation makes chicken an ingredient that feels like it should always be available at accessible prices no matter what happens to the economy, similar to how Americans view eggs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The Truman troupe can be arrogant about these distinctions they make, but their pridefulness is an ingredient of their success.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Definitions 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.
