inherently
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inherently
Explanation
The adverb inherently means in a natural or innate manner. Some people enjoy your inherently cheerful nature, but it drives other people crazy because they find you annoyingly perky. Inherently is the adverbial form of the adjective inherent. They both come from the Latin word inhaerere, meaning "adhere to," with the root haerere meaning "to stick." Synonyms for inherently include intrinsically and essentially. If you do something inherently, it is so well ingrained in you that it's become part of who you are. If you are inherently late to every meeting, you should probably set your watch 15 minutes early.
Vocabulary lists containing inherently
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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The Fault in Our Stars
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The Poet X
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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.
Under this hypothesis, the brain's crossed connections did not necessarily arise because controlling the opposite side of the body was inherently more effective.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
"It ends up in facilities like ours where it will be touched by people and that's inherently unsafe."
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
While stenciling and pulp painting are inherently additive practices, blowouts are subtractive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
One company makes electric cars that are inherently terrestrial, ferrying millions of drivers on roads around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Natural experiments in any field, whether in ecology or human history, are inherently open to potential methodological criticisms.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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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.
