Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INNATE

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connect today's word to others: Here's Lady Gaga on embracing our innate qualities:      Don't hide yourself in regret.      Just love yourself and you're set.      I'm on the right track, baby.      I was born this way. If you're born that way, if you're born with it, it's innate: it's some natural quality you've had since birth, literally or figuratively. Innate looks a bit like nature, native, nai____t and nas___t (both meaning new, recently "born"), and n__ (born with [this name]) because they all come from the Latin word for "born." Here's a close synonym of innate: inh____t, which also describes qualities that are a basic, natural, permanent, characteristic part of someone or something. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "INNATE" Something innate has been a part of someone since birth (or has been a part of something since its very start). In other words, innate things have always been a natural and permanent part of something or someone. Pronunciation: in ATE Part of speech: Adjective: "this innate ability," "his talent is innate." Other forms: innately, innateness How to use it: Talk about the innate traits, qualities, characteristics, flaws, weaknesses, talents, desires and so on that people, groups, places, or things have. If you call something innate and you're being literal, then you're describing a characteristic present since birth: "With her flat nose, the Himalayan cat has an innate susceptibility to breathing problems." But often we use "innate" figuratively: "his innate love for the violin," "America's innate drive to compete." examples: I prefer stories that highlight our innate goodness (e.g., The Diary of Anne Frank) rather than our innate evil (The Lord of the Flies). "The desire to climb arbitrary ranking ladders seems to be an innate human instinct. The World Bank hopes to harness it for good. ... The bank’s Human Capital Index seeks to show, as a simple percentage, how close a country comes to providing education and healthy lives to all residents, thus maximizing their opportunity to succeed."    — Andrew Van Dam and Jeanne Whalen, The Washington Post, 10 October 2018 study it: Explain the meaning of "innate" without saying "inborn" or "deep-seated." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "The innate (quality) of (some item, process, system, or group) allows _____." Example: "The innate flexibility of HTML color codes allows for precise control over shades. (Favorite purples: CC99FF and 8A2BE2.)" before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "Inspired by, but in no way associated with, Jeopardy!" In each issue, I'll create three "answers" for you, and you supply the "questions." (That is, you'll respond in the form of a question, like "What is...?" or "Who is...?") From the previous issue: 1. Category: Alliterative Appellations in Athletics. Answer: With a gift for trash talk and one-liners, the boxer Muhammad Ali was known as the "Louisville This." Question: What is the Lip? 2. Category: "SNOO." Answer: For a few minutes of relief when tired, you hit this. Question: What is a snooze button (or snooze alarm)? 3. Category: A-Z. (Starts with A, Ends with Z.) Answer: It's what you hear around the hive--or, an adjective meaning "full of excited talk or activity." Question: What is "abuzz"? Try these today: 1. Category: "SNOO." Answer: It's a device similar to binoculars that renders infra-red radiation visible. 2. Category: A-Z.  Answer: It's rice, or a rice dish--in Spanish or Latin American cuisine. 3. Category: On the What? Answer: Currently broadcasting. review today's word: 1. One opposite of INNATE is A. AVERAGE. B. AMPHIBIAN. C. EXTRINSIC. 2. Lawrence Summers claimed that innate _____ explain the preponderance of men in science. A. errors in data collection B. differences between the genders C. new endowments to institutions with mostly male faculty Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B