Which of the following terms describes the natural abilities individuals are born with?

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[ ih-neyt, in-eyt ]

/ ɪˈneɪt, ˈɪn eɪt /

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

Definition of innate

adjective

existing in one from birth; inborn; native: innate musical talent.

inherent in the essential character of something: an innate defect in the hypothesis.

originating in or arising from the intellect or the constitution of the mind, rather than learned through experience: an innate knowledge of good and evil.

Origin of innate

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin innātus “inborn,” past participle of innāscī “to be born, arise,” equivalent to in- in-2 + nāscī “to be born”; cf. nascent, nativity

synonym study for innate

1. Innate, inborn, congenital, hereditary describe qualities, characteristics, or possessions acquired before or at the time of birth. Innate, of Latin origin, and inborn, a native English word, share the literal basic sense “existing at the time of birth,” and they are interchangeable in most contexts: innate (or inborn ) stodginess, agility, gracefulness. Congenital refers most often to characteristics acquired during fetal development, especially defects or undesirable conditions: a congenital deformity; congenital blindness. Hereditary describes qualities or things passed on from ancestors, either through the genes or by social or legal means: Hemophilia is a hereditary condition; a hereditary title.

OTHER WORDS FROM innate

in·nate·ly, adverbin·nate·ness, nounun·in·nate, adjectiveun·in·nate·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH innate

inchoate, innate

Words related to innate

deep-seated, elemental, inborn, ingrained, inherent, instinctive, intrinsic, intuitive, congenital, connate, connatural, constitutional, essential, hereditary, inbred, indigenous, natural, normal, regular, standard

How to use innate in a sentence

• Mouse organs sent to space also had higher levels of RNAs that play a role in the body’s innate immunity.

• I have always had this innate passion for helping others, and that along with my entrepreneurial spirit, I knew I wanted to do something good for motherhood.

• There's an innate immune response that is triggered when cells sense they're infected.

• When animals are routinely attracted to humans and their food, they often become habituated to human presence, meaning they lose their innate fear of us.

• When Lohmann dropped newly hatched turtles into these conditions, they swam into the waves, just as their innate programming instructed them to—and as a result, they went the wrong way.

• Now, 42 percent believe that it is innate and 37 percent hold that it is environmental—hardly a massive shift in popular opinion.

• “Kit has an innate confidence and projects a playfully rebellious nature,” the brand's creative director, Sandra Choi, said.

• These approaches are critical as they strive to fix the innate issue: spinal cord damage.

• The willing masochism of being an England supporter is innate.

• You could hear White's innate pop orientation at the Fonda show as well.

• She is always attired in black, and is utterly careless in dress, yet nothing can conceal her innate elegance of figure.

• He had the innate slant of mind that properly belongs to a moderator of mass meetings called to aggravate a crisis.

• But Weirmarsh, with his innate cunning, presented to him a picture of exposure and degradation which held him horrified.

• But it was his kindliness of heart, and above all his innate sense of humour, which appealed most to Peter Ilich.

• Herein Queeker exhibited the innate tendency of the human heart to deceive itself.

adjective

existing in a person or animal from birth; congenital; inborn

being an essential part of the character of a person or thing

instinctive; not learnedinnate capacities

botany(of anthers) joined to the filament by the base only

(in rationalist philosophy) (of ideas) present in the mind before any experience and knowable by pure reason

Derived forms of innate

innately, adverbinnateness, noun

Word Origin for innate

C15: from Latin, from innascī to be born in, from nascī to be born