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Imbue vs Instil - What's the difference?

imbue | instil | Synonyms |

Imbue is a synonym of instil.


As verbs the difference between imbue and instil

is that imbue is (transitive): to wet or stain an object completely with some physical quality while instil is .

imbue

English

Verb

(imbu)
  • (transitive): To wet or stain an object completely with some physical quality.
    • The shirt was imbued with his scent.
  • In general, to act in a way which results in an object becoming completely permeated or impregnated by some quality.
    • The entire text is imbued with the sense of melancholy and hopelessness.

    Usage notes

    * Imbue takes meaning from the word imbibe, which means "to absorb or to be filled with".

    instil

    English

    Verb

    (instill)

    • Derived terms

    * reinstil