assimilate
uh-SIM-uh-layt
/əˈsɪmɪleɪt/
To absorb and integrate people, ideas, or culture into a wider society or culture.
Assimilate often carries a nuance of conformity, where the minority group adopts the customs of the majority, sometimes losing their original cultural distinctions in the process.
The story behind the word. The Latin verb 'assimilare' literally means 'to make like.' When a dominant culture assimilates a minority, it shapes them to look, speak, and act 'like' the majority, smoothing out differences to create a uniform social landscape.
Word relationships
- integrate: Integrate implies bringing different groups together as equals without requiring them to lose their unique cultural identities, whereas assimilate often implies blending in completely.
- absorb: Absorb is a general term for taking something in, while assimilate specifically implies making the absorbed element similar to the host.
- segregate: Segregate means to isolate or keep different cultural or racial groups separate from one another.
Commonly confused with
- acclimate: Acclimate refers to adjusting to a new climate or physical environment, while assimilate refers to deep cultural or intellectual absorption.
Word family
- assimilation (noun): The process of taking in and fully understanding information or ideas, or cultural absorption.
- assimilative (adjective): Tending to or having the power of assimilating.
Collocations
- assimilate into society
- culturally assimilate
- fully assimilate
- struggle to assimilate
Example sentences
- "Many first-generation immigrants struggle to assimilate into the local culture while trying to keep their native traditions alive." A discussion on immigrant experiences.
- "English has a remarkable ability to assimilate words from other languages, adapting them to its own pronunciation rules." How languages absorb new vocabulary.
Memory hook
Assimilate makes you 'similar' to the people around you. Becoming similar to your surroundings.
When not to use
Do not use when groups live side-by-side while maintaining entirely separate cultures (which is multiculturalism, not assimilation).
Fun facts
- In biology, 'assimilation' is the process by which organisms absorb nutrients and turn them into part of their own living tissue.
Related words
Explore more words
assimilation, homogenization, internalize, conform, proselytize, socialize
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