innate

[ ih-neyt, in-eyt ]

See synonyms for innate on Thesaurus.com

adjective

existing in one from birth; inborn; native: innate musical talent.
inherent in the essential character of something: an innate defect in the hypothesis.

originating in or arising from the intellect or the constitution of the mind, rather than learned through experience: an innate knowledge of good and evil.

Origin of innate

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin innātus “inborn,” past participle of innāscī “to be born, arise,” equivalent to in- in-² + nāscī “to be born”; cf. nascent, nativity

synonym study For innate

1. Innate, inborn, congenital, hereditary describe qualities, characteristics, or possessions acquired before or at the time of birth. Innate, of Latin origin, and inborn, a native English word, share the literal basic sense “existing at the time of birth,” and they are interchangeable in most contexts: innate (or inborn ) stodginess, agility, gracefulness. Congenital refers most often to characteristics acquired during fetal development, especially defects or undesirable conditions: a congenital deformity; congenital blindness. Hereditary describes qualities or things passed on from ancestors, either through the genes or by social or legal means: Hemophilia is a hereditary condition; a hereditary title.

Other words for innate

1	natural, congenital

See synonyms for innate on Thesaurus.com

Other words from innate

in·nate·ly, adverb
in·nate·ness, noun
un·in·nate, adjective
un·in·nate·ness, noun

Words that may be confused with innate

inchoate, innate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use innate in a sentence

Some might cause deadly illnesses in certain species and individuals, depending on dose, age, innate resistance of the host, and many other factors.
How animals can help us demystify viruses | Sandra Gutierrez G. | November 12, 2020 | Popular-Science
Wilson defined biophilia as an “innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes.”
Are We Wired to Be Outside? - Issue 92: Frontiers | Grigori Guitchounts | November 11, 2020 | Nautilus
I knew it was upon me to discover what methods and practices are innate to me, and then to educate my community on a broader vision of good chocolate.
Meet Four Craft Chocolate Makers Decolonizing the Industry | Jinji Fraser | October 22, 2020 | Eater
That suggests these behaviors—or at least, the capacity for them—are innate.
When Did We Become Fully Human? What Fossils and DNA Tell Us About the Evolution of Modern Intelligence | Nick Longrich | October 18, 2020 | Singularity Hub
That big trick is to avoid the initial innate immune response for a significant period of time and, in particular, avoid an early type-1 interferon response.
Covid-19 scientists flag key immune function as a turning point in life threatening cases | kdunn6 | September 25, 2020 | Fortune

Still, recognizing the innateness of the thing, we look upon such conduct as a natural consequence.
A Prince of Anahuac | James A. Porter
Partisanship as a motive is animal in its deep, remote innateness.
The Fruits of Victory | Norman Angell
Perhaps some will be surprised that we do not define the apriorist theory by the hypothesis of innateness.
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life | Emile Durkheim
First, precocity, of which we shall later give numerous examples, and which resembles the innateness of instinct.
Essay on the Creative Imagination | Th. Ribot
To deny the innateness of ideas was roundly asserted to be materialism and atheism.
Diderot and the Encyclopaedists (Vol 1 of 2) | John Morley

British Dictionary definitions for innate

innate

/ (ɪˈneɪt, ˈɪneɪt) /

adjective

existing in a person or animal from birth; congenital; inborn
being an essential part of the character of a person or thing

instinctive; not learned: innate capacities
botany (of anthers) joined to the filament by the base only
(in rationalist philosophy) (of ideas) present in the mind before any experience and knowable by pure reason

Origin of innate

C15: from Latin, from innascī to be born in, from nascī to be born

Derived forms of innate

innately, adverb
innateness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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