to imbue

Examples

• All

• Artistic license imbued the stage setting for the Venusberg with soft pink lighting, a departure from what Wagner had witnessed in 1842.

  Academic text (1998)

• The artist's vibrant colors imbue the painting with a lively energy.

• Hylozoism is the belief that all objects are imbued with life.

  Academic text (1990)

• Each used a constellation of symbols, rituals, and rhetoric to imbue a sense of identity and solidarity among its followers.

  Academic text (1992)

• His black fur robes, treated with purple dye to imbue them with the royal hue, rustled softly as he once again settled himself into his throne.

  Fiction book (1991)

• Advanced (avant-garde) artists of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries sought to imbue their work with a personal sensibility that is the cultural heritage of romanticism.

  Academic text (2002)

• Extracting the essence of the herbs imbues the oil with a rich flavor.

• The soft lighting in the room imbues the space with a relaxing atmosphere.

Synonyms

P

to paint

vsto imbue

854 1.0

To put coloured liquid on a surface to protect or change how it looks

means deep internal coloring rather than surface coating

C

to color

vsto imbue

• US

228 1.0

To make something a different shade by painting or dyeing

implies a deeper soak of shade rather than surface-level change

S

to stain

vsto imbue

113 3.2

To put color on something to change how it looks

focuses on thorough penetration into the material, not just surface marks

T

to tint

vsto imbue

24 3.6

To add a small amount of color to something

involves a much stronger, deeper application that soaks material

B

to bathe

vsto imbue

• Literature

12 6.8

To fill something with light or strong feeling

specifies literal deep coloring and material penetration rather than figurative cover

S

to suffuse

vsto imbue

8 7.6

To spread slowly through something, often as light, color, or a feeling

emphasizes thorough, deep coloring rather than a gentle spread

I

to impregnate

vsto imbue

3 7.4

To fill something completely with a liquid or chemical

focuses specifically on adding deep color rather than any substance

P

to pigment

vsto imbue

1 5.1

To add color to something by applying a colored substance or by natural change

implies deeper, more penetrating addition of shade than simple coloring

T

to tinge

vsto imbue

1 4.8

To add a small amount of color or feeling to something

denotes deep, thorough permeation of shade rather than a small touch

D

to deep-dye

vsto imbue

7.2

To color fabric all the way through so the color lasts

soaks color deeply into material rather than leaving light surface tint

E

to engraining

vsto imbue

• Archaic

9.4

To dye wool or cloth so the color stays deep

means deep permeation too but applied more generally to objects

P

to perfuse

vsto imbue

9.3

Cause light, color or liquid to spread through something

applies this spreading specifically to adding deep, lasting color

I

to imbrue

vsto imbue

• Archaic

9.9

To stain something with blood or another dark liquid

is about adding deep color specifically, not only strong staining agents

I

to infuscate

vsto imbue

• Specialized

9.9

To make something dark brown, especially parts of plants or insects

is broader, meaning deep coloring without specifying brownish darkness

T

to tinct

vsto imbue

• Archaic

9.9

To give something a very light color

uses a richer, more thorough infusion of shade than a faint tint

Antonyms

S

to strip

• Specialized

15 6.3

Remove a substance or part from material like soil

B

bleach

2 2.7

The act of making something lighter in color, often with chemicals

How Colored

to saturate

55 5.2

to imbue

1 7.7

to dye

37 2.2

to tint

24 3.6

Surface Forms

Etymology