1400-1500Latin past participle of innasci, from nasci ‘to be born’
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Children have an innate curiosity about the physical world.
Collocations
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES►an inherent/innate tendency
(=one that you are born with, which will not change)· When attacked, some people have an inherent tendency to fight back.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN►ability
· The differences in organisation are said to be due to innate ability, and the kind of experience received.· Luckily, she had an innate ability to quickly judge people-if they were honest, loyal, tricksters or leeches.
►sense
· The Doctor appeared to have an innate sense of direction.· Shaftesbury thought the opposite true: religion follows from, or is grounded in, man's innate sense of morality.· A modest and sincere man, his indefatigable hard work and innate sense of justice made him popular with his workforce.· He seldom stopped smiling and never lost his innate sense of fun.
1an innate quality or ability is something you are born with: Children have an innate ability to learn language.2an innate belief is something you feel strongly about and are unlikely to change: the innate conservatism of the farming community—innately adverb: the army’s innately conservative values