Definition

1. Verb:
   • To inspire or permeate thoroughly with a feeling, quality, or idea: To fill someone or something deeply with a particular emotion, principle, or characteristic.
   • To saturate or dye something with a color or substance: To cause a color, liquid, or quality to soak into and spread throughout something.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The teacher sought to imbue her students with a love of learning. (She aimed to fill her students deeply with a passion for learning.)
  • The artist imbued the painting with a sense of melancholy. (The artist permeated the painting thoroughly with a sad feeling.)
  • The cloth was imbued with a deep blue dye. (The fabric was thoroughly saturated with a blue color.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be imbued with": This passive construction is very common and describes the state of being deeply filled with a quality.
  • His speeches are imbued with a sense of urgency. (His speeches are thoroughly permeated by a feeling that action is needed immediately.)
• "to imbue something/someone with something": This is the standard active construction.
  • The ceremony is designed to imbue the graduates with confidence. (The ceremony is created to fill the graduates deeply with confidence.)

Variants and Related Words

• Imbued (adj): Describes something that has been filled or permeated.
  • An imbued sense of duty guided his actions. (A deeply ingrained sense of duty guided him.)
• Imbuement (n): The act of imbuing or the state of being imbued (less common).
  • The imbuement of traditional values was important to the community.

Synonyms

• Permeate: To spread throughout and be present in every part of something.
• Saturate: To fill something completely so no more can be absorbed.
• Infuse: To fill someone or something with a quality or emotion.
• Steep: To soak in a liquid; figuratively, to fill thoroughly with a quality.
• Pervade: To spread through and be noticeable in every part of something.

Antonyms

• Drain: To remove liquid or a quality from something.
• Deprive: To prevent from having or using something.
• Empty: To remove all contents.

Related Phrases and Constructions

• Imbue with life/vitality: To fill something with energy or liveliness.
  • The director imbued the old story with new life.
• Imbue with meaning: To fill an action or object with significance.
  • The ritual imbues the simple act with great meaning.

Verb

1. suffuse with color
2. fill, soak, or imbue totally
   • soak the bandage with disinfectant
3. spread or diffuse through
   • An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration
   • music penetrated the entire building
   • His campaign was riddled with accusations and personal attacks