Inculcate
/ˈɪnkʌlˌkeɪt/
verbC1
Definition
Inculcate means to teach ideas, habits, or values to someone by repeating them often. It is a way to make sure that what is taught stays in the person's mind. Teachers, parents, or leaders often inculcate important lessons or rules.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
To teach by repeating ideas or habits often
- •The coach inculcated the importance of teamwork in every practice.
- •Parents try to inculcate good manners in their children from a young age.
- •The school inculcates respect for others through daily lessons.
To impress ideas firmly into someone's mind
- •The training program inculcated safety rules into all employees.
- •Teachers work hard to inculcate a love of reading in their students.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "inculcate" like "teach," but with a strong focus on repeating something many times until it sticks in your mind.
- ✓Picture a teacher writing the same sentence on the board again and again to help students remember it.
- ✓It's the feeling when you learn a rule so well that you never forget it, like always saying "please" and "thank you."
- ✓Sounds like "in-cull-cate" → imagine "culling" (picking carefully) ideas into your mind again and again until they stay.
- ✓Imagine a parent telling a child many times to be kind and honest, so the child always remembers.
- ✓NOT like "tell" (one-time action) — "inculcate" means repeating and making the idea strong inside.
- ✓NOT like "memorize" (only about words) — "inculcate" is about teaching habits or values deeply.
- ✓NOT like "lecture" (just talking) — "inculcate" needs practice and repetition to make learning last.
Try Other Words
- •Impress: to fix an idea strongly in someone's mind (Use when focusing on making an idea stay firmly)
- •Instill: to gradually introduce ideas or feelings (Use when the process is slow and careful)
- •Train: to teach skills or behavior through practice (Use when teaching actions or habits through repeated practice)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "in-" (into) + "culcare" (Latin root meaning to tread or press down)
- •Etymology: From Latin "inculcare," meaning to press or stamp in, like pressing ideas into the mind
- •Historical development: Originally meant physically pressing down; later used for teaching ideas deeply by repetition
- •Modern usage: Used mainly in formal or educational contexts to describe teaching values, habits, or knowledge by repeated instruction
Reflect & Connect
•How can repeated teaching (inculcation) help or hurt learning new habits?
•Can you think of a time when someone inculcated a value or idea in you? How did it affect your behavior?
Fill in the blanks
1.Teachers often inculcate good study habits ___ students to help them succeed.
2.Parents try to inculcate values like honesty and kindness ___ their children from a young age.
3.Unlike simply telling once, to inculcate means to repeat lessons ___ so they become part of the mind.
4.The coach inculcated teamwork ___ every practice session to make it a strong habit.
5.When ideas are inculcated, they are usually ___ deeply and last a long time.
6.To inculcate a skill, you need to practice it ___, not just once.
7.If someone only hears advice one time, it is not enough to ___ it fully.