intrinsic
[in-trin-sik, -zik]
- belonging to a thing by its very nature: the intrinsic value of a gold ring.
- Anatomy. (of certain muscles, nerves, etc.) belonging to or lying within a given part.
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Sometimes in·trin·si·cal.
Origin of intrinsic
1480–90; < Medieval Latin intrinsecus inward (adj.), Latin (adv.), equivalent to intrin- (int(e)r-, as in interior + -im adv. suffix) + secus beside, derivative of sequī to follow
Synonyms
See more synonyms for intrinsic on Thesaurus.com1. native, innate, natural, true, real. See essential.
Antonyms
1. extrinsic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for intrinsically
Contemporary Examples
The issue has opened a divide between Iranian political and religious leaders in a country where they are intrinsically tied.
Not all art is easily placed in a museum; some pieces are intrinsically linked to the location in which they were created.
Two families, intrinsically woven together by both good and evil.
Meet America’s Indiana Jones: Andrew Carroll Searches for Forgotten History Across the U.S.Nina Strochlic
May 14, 2013
The advent of language is intrinsically linked to memory, and many early languages were simply mnemonic devices.
Is the Internet Making Us Forgetful? Michael S. Malone’s ‘The Guardian of All Things’Austen Rosenfeld
August 25, 2012
The result of all of this was the erasure of outstanding world records by performances that were intrinsically inferior.
Historical Examples
Nevertheless Lincoln will be credited for what intrinsically is not his.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863Adam Gurowski
It is true, again, that Pope's reasoning is intrinsically feeble.
Hours in a Library, Volume I. (of III.)Leslie Stephen
All this, surely, was intrinsically right, wrong only in its direction.
The English SpyBernard Blackmantle
It was as bare as a prison cell, which intrinsically it was.
Rebels of the Red PlanetCharles Louis Fontenay
They differ widely in vesture; yet look at them intrinsically.
intrinsic
intrinsical
- of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent
- anatomy situated within or peculiar to a partintrinsic muscles
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Word Origin
C15: from Late Latin intrinsecus from Latin, inwardly, from intrā within + secus alongside; related to sequī to follow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for intrinsically
intrinsic
adj.
late 15c., "interior, inward, internal," from Middle French intrinsèque "inner" (13c.), from Medieval Latin intrinsecus "interior, internal," from Latin intrinsecus (adv.) "inwardly, on the inside," from intra "within" (see intra-) + secus "alongside," originally "following" (related to sequi "to follow;" see sequel). Meaning "belonging to the nature of a thing" is from 1640s. Related: Intrinsicly.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
intrinsic
(ĭn-trĭn′zĭk)- Of or relating to the essential nature of a thing.
- Situated within or belonging solely to the organ or body part on which it acts. Used of certain nerves and muscles.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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