intrinsically
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of intrinsically
First recorded in 1545–55; intrinsic ( def. ) + -ally ( def. )
Explanation
Use the adverb intrinsically to describe things that are a vital, important, or natural part of something. For example, great teachers are intrinsically associated with a great school. Something that is intrinsic is an essential part of a whole, so intrinsically describes something closely connected to or inseparable from something. For example, if you believe people are intrinsically good, you think goodness is a part of being human. The Latin root is intrinsecus, which means "inwardly, on the inside."
Vocabulary lists containing intrinsically
George Washington's Farewell Address (1796)
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Freakonomics
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167 Vocabulary words from the Supreme Court's DOMA Decision
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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.
Intrinsically disordered proteins naturally change their 3-D conformation to interact with different proteins, nucleic acids or other molecules.
From Science Daily • Apr. 30, 2024
Intrinsically for me, as a coach, it’s exciting because I get to watch to see who can manage that environment the best.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2023
An Intrinsically disordered peptide from Ebola virus VP35 controls viral RNA synthesis by modulating nucleoprotein-RNA interactions.
From Nature • Nov. 7, 2017
Said the Herald editorially: Intrinsically Native* In speaking of U. S. art students Painter Henri Matisse once said: 'They must be great artists, they must be geniuses, why cannot they content themselves with being painters.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Intrinsically taken, this seemed no very great event for Friedrich, for Pitt, for England or mankind: but it proved otherwise.
From History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 20 by Carlyle, Thomas
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.