innate
- 01 C1 Advanced
describes a quality or ability that is part of your nature from the time you are born.
existing in, belonging to, or determined by factors present in an individual from birth.
Simple“She has an innate talent for music and could play the piano by ear at age five.”
In context“Psychologists often debate whether our personality traits are innate or shaped primarily by our early childhood environment.”
UsageUsually placed before a noun or after a linking verb like 'be'.
Teacher's tipThis is a more formal and precise alternative to 'natural' or 'born with'.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
describes an idea or way of thinking that is part of the mind and not learned from experience.
originating in the mind or the constitution of the intellect rather than being derived from external experience.
Simple“Some philosophers believe that humans have an innate sense of right and wrong.”
In context“The rationalist tradition posits that certain mathematical truths are innate to the human mind, requiring only logic to be uncovered.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'innate ideas'.
Teacher's tipIn academic writing, this sense is central to the 'nature versus nurture' debate.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
describes a part of a plant that is attached at its base to the tip of a stem.
attached by the base to the apex of a supporting part, such as an anther to a filament.
Simple“The scientist noted that the plant had innate anthers, which helped identify the species.”
In context“The classification of the genus depends partly on whether the anthers are innate or versatile in their attachment to the filament.”
UsageUsed specifically in botanical descriptions of plant anatomy.
Teacher's tipThis is a highly specialized term; students will likely only encounter it in scientific texts.
Synonymsbasifixed
Usage innate ability
“For example, parents might trust a child's innate ability, experience and judgment to climb a tree.”
“He’d already missed three gilt-edged chances by the time he bagged his goal, showcasing if nothing else an innate ability to turn up at the right place at the right time.”
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).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.