inoculate
verb
transitive verb
Did you know?
If you think you see a connection between inoculate and ocular ("of or relating to the eye"), you are not mistaken—both words look back to oculus, the Latin word for "eye." But what does the eye have to do with inoculation? Our answer lies in the original use of inoculate in Middle English: "to insert a bud in a plant for propagation." Latin oculus was sometimes applied to things that were seen to resemble eyes, and one such thing was the bud of a plant. Inoculate was later applied to other forms of engrafting or implanting, including the introduction of vaccines as a preventative against disease.
Synonyms
- endue
- indue
- imbue
- inculcate
- infuse
- ingrain
- engrain
- invest
- steep
- suffuse
Example Sentences
Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2022 In Chile, where the government has secured contracts to inoculate its entire population twice, the vaccine is expected to arrive as early as this week, President Sebastian Pinera said. Amy Stillman, Bloomberg.com, 22 Dec. 2020 To that end, billions of doses were reserved before any had been approved for use, with many countries claiming enough to inoculate their population several times over. Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2020 Arwady also shared new guidance that will allow the current monkeypox vaccine stock to inoculate five times more people per vial. Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2022 That stark scene played out as coronavirus vaccines arrived and California and Los Angeles moved aggressively to inoculate people. Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2021 The program, announced Sunday by the Department of Health and Social Care, is designed to boost the vaccination rate among adults under 30 as Britain races to inoculate as many people as possible before colder weather arrives. Danica Kirka, Star Tribune, 1 Aug. 2021 When vaccines became available, mobile clinics were sent to inoculate people who wanted it. Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2022 Global policy experts said that the emergence of omicron in southern Africa, where vaccination rates lag behind Western nations, underscores the need to inoculate people in all regions and curb the risk of new outbreaks and variants. Anchorage Daily News, 28 Nov. 2021 See More Word History
Middle English, to insert a bud in a plant, from Latin inoculatus, past participle of inoculare, from in- + oculus eye, bud — more at eye
1721, in the meaning defined at sense 1b
Kids Definition
inoculate
verb
Medical Definition
inoculate
verb
transitive verb
intransitive verb
inoculate
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- suffuse
- infuse
- inculcate
- imbue
- invest
- ingrain
- engrain
- fill
- flood
- endue
- steep
- charge
- indue
- overwhelm
- saturate
- instill
- plant
- invigorate
- impregnate
- enliven
- drown
- animate
- permeate
- submerge
- leaven
- inundate
- pervade
- implant
- deluge
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- deprive
- eliminate
- remove
- divest
- take (away)
- clear
- strip
- empty
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of inoculate are imbue, infuse, ingrain, leaven, and suffuse. While all these words mean "to introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout," inoculate implies an imbuing or implanting with a germinal idea and often suggests stealth or subtlety.
While in some cases nearly identical to inoculate, imbue implies the introduction of a quality that fills and permeates the whole being.
The words infuse and inoculate can be used in similar contexts, but infuse implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance.
The words ingrain and inoculate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ingrain, used only in the passive or past participle, suggests the deep implanting of a quality or trait.
The meanings of leaven and inoculate largely overlap; however, leaven implies introducing something that enlivens, tempers, or markedly alters the total quality.
Although the words suffuse and inoculate have much in common, suffuse implies a spreading through of something that gives an unusual color or quality.