What does "assimilate" mean?
Something that is or has been assimilated.
Assimilate
adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·4 syllables ·Very common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that is or has been assimilated.
- Grammar: assimilate is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: absorb, ablate, absorb, absorb into culture.
- Useful contrasts: counterpoint, disregard, dissimilate.
- Usage evidence: You must assimilate into new surroundings.
How to use "assimilate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "assimilate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "assimilate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "assimilate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "assimilate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "assimilate" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "absorb" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "assimilate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that is or has been assimilated. obsolete
"At low light intensity, high temperature delays the first flower initiation, as assimilate supply is limiting and high temperature reduces the amount of assimilate available in the plant[.]"
- 2 Something that is like, similar to another. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To incorporate nutrients into the body, especially after digestion. transitive
"Food is assimilated and converted into organic tissue."
- 2 become similar to one's environment wordnet
- 3 To incorporate or absorb (knowledge) into the mind. transitive
"The teacher paused in her lecture to allow the students to assimilate what she had said."
- 4 make similar wordnet
- 5 To absorb (a person or people) into a community or culture. transitive
"The aliens in the science-fiction film wanted to assimilate human beings into their own race."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 become similar in sound wordnet
- 7 To liken, compare to something similar. rare, transitive
"The use of an animal to kill, wound or threaten is assimilated to the use of a weapon."
- 8 take up mentally wordnet
- 9 To bring to a likeness or to conformity; to cause a resemblance between. transitive
"March 13, 1866, John Bright, The reform bill on the motion for leave to bring in the bill to assimilate our law in respect to the law of Scotland"
- 10 take (gas, light or heat) into a solution wordnet
- 11 To become similar. intransitive
- 12 To be incorporated or absorbed into something. intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Assimilated. obsolete
- 2 Similar, like, the same as. obsolete
Example
"You must assimilate into new surroundings."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "assimilate"?
Common synonyms include: absorb, ablate, absorb, absorb into culture, absorbing, absorbs.
How do you use "assimilate" in a sentence?
You must assimilate into new surroundings.
Etymology
Etymology 1
First attested in the early 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; Middle English assimilaten (“to become similar; to make like”), from assimilat(e) (“assimilated”, also used as the past participal of assimilaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Late Latin assimilātus, variant of Latin assimulātus (“made similar, imitated”), perfect passive participle of assimulō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ad + simulō (“to imitate, copy”), from similis (“like, similar”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together, one”). Doublet of assemble.
Etymology 2
First attested in the early 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; from Middle English assimilat(e) (“made like”, used as the participle of assimilaten), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more; the noun was derived from the participle through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.