adjective
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of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent
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anatomy situated within or peculiar to a part
intrinsic muscles
Synonym Usage
See essential.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intrinsic
First recorded in 1480–90; Middle English intrinsique “inner,” from Old French intrinseque “internal, inner,” from Late Latin intrinsecus “inward” (adjective), from Latin intrinsecus “on the inside, inwards” (adverb), equivalent to intrin- (from int(e)r-, as in interior + -im, an old accusative ending used as an adverb suffix + secus “beside,” derivative of sequī “to follow”)
Compare meaning
How does intrinsic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The intrinsic qualities of something have to do with its nature. An intrinsic quality of dogs is that they're loyal. Anything intrinsic comes from within. Doing a job for only money is not intrinsic. Doing a job because you love it is intrinsic; the motivation comes from within. It's good to treat people as having intrinsic value. If you like someone for intrinsic reasons, then you have no other motivation. The opposite of intrinsic is extrinsic, for things that come from the outside instead of from the inside.
Vocabulary lists containing intrinsic
100 SAT Words Beginning with "I"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "I"
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 5
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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.
There was something intrinsic about this show that kept America wanting more of it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Catapult is intrinsic to L.A. culture and L.A. literature. So many of their writers are in this area,” Gina Frangello told The Times on Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
The badge, which was once an intrinsic part of Swinging Sixties British cool, had lost its lustre.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
To determine their intrinsic brightness, astronomers use other standard candles, such as Cepheid stars, in the galaxies nearby.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
And beyond that, there are so many things I love about him: he’s kind and strong and he believes in the intrinsic value of women as human beings; he’s fun and deep and loyal.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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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.
