innate

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪˈneɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #24013

Meanings

1

adj
Existing in a person or animal from birth; natural rather than learned.

She has an innate talent for music.
2

adj
Coming from instinct rather than from experience or teaching.

Babies have an innate fear of falling.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · existing in a person or... inborn natural

2 adj · coming from instinct rather... unconditioned

More congenitalcongeniteconnate connatural genetous inbred indigenousingenitenative unlearned

Opposites

acquiredimplantedinculcatedinfusedingraftedlearned

Word family

Derived forms innatelyinnatenessinnatisminnatistinnativenoninnateuninnate

Related forms antenatal intuitive inveterate nascent natal native nativism natural naturalism nature naturism prenatal

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

innate immunity
the body's natural defenses that operate without learning to recognize a particular infection

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Innate, recorded since late Middle English, belongs to the Latin word family derived from nasci, “to be born.” Its sense is consequently “inborn” or “natural.”

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in the 1420s, the verb in 1602; from Middle English innat(e) (“innate, inborn”), borrowed from Latin innātus (“inborn, innate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), perfect active participle of innāscor (“to be born in, grow up in”), from in- (“in, at on”) + nāscor (“to be born”); see natal, native. The verb is derived from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

*ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European innat Middle English innātus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# innate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈneɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 24013

## Meanings
1. Existing in a person or animal from birth; natural rather than learned.
2. Coming from instinct rather than from experience or teaching.

## Examples
- She has an innate talent for music.
- Babies have an innate fear of falling.

## Synonyms
- congenital
- congenite
- connate
- connatural
- genetous
- inborn
- inbred
- indigenous
- ingenite
- native
- natural
- unlearned

## Antonyms
- acquired
- implanted
- inculcated
- infused
- ingrafted
- learned

## Derived Forms
- innately
- innateness
- innatism
- innatist
- innative
- noninnate
- uninnate

## Related Forms
- antenatal
- intuitive
- inveterate
- nascent
- natal
- native
- nativism
- natural
- naturalism
- nature
- naturism
- prenatal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ǵenh₁-
- Root: innat
- Root: innātus

## Etymology
The adjective is first attested in the 1420s, the verb in 1602; from Middle English innat(e) (“innate, inborn”), borrowed from Latin innātus (“inborn, innate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), perfect active participle of innāscor (“to be born in, grow up in”), from in- (“in, at on”) + nāscor (“to be born”); see natal, native. The verb is derived from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

## AI Etymology
Innate The adjective is first attested in the 1420s, the verb in 1602; from Middle English innat(e) (“innate, inborn”), borrowed from Latin innātus (“inborn, innate”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), perfect active participle of innāscor (“to be born in, grow up in”), from in- (“in, at on”) + nāscor (“to be born”); see natal, native. The verb is derived from the adjective, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. The historical line also includes *ǵenh₁-.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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