by osmosis
1
7.0
- idiom
- /baɪ ɑːsˈmoʊsɪs/
- Informal
- I learned how to cook many delicious meals by osmosis from my parents in the kitchen.
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Watch on YouTubeI kind of, it takes me an hour to come round and I, I quite like to take in the news by osmosis in a way, you know, just like that.
- I kind of, it takes me an hour to come round and I, I quite like to take in the news by osmosis in a way, you know, just like that.
- This is what we've all been taught, whether it was overtly or it's just kind of by osmosis.
Examples
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The scientific method must have sunk in by osmosis, though.
Blog text (4) -
I would rather be a trendsetter by breaking all the rules, which is the most fun and liberating approach to style for me, although sometimes I'll pick up a trend by osmosis.
Blog text (30) -
I do not gain those ideas by osmosis simply because I blog here.
Blog text (7) -
I kind of, it takes me an hour to come round and I, I quite like to take in the news by osmosis in a way, you know, just like that.
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Youre making me smarter by osmosis?
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They park next to me because they want coolness by osmosis or something.
Blog text (7) -
I don't expect that Denene and I will be bringing them into the hood much over the next seven years for them to develop a comfort with Black English by osmosis.
Blog text (7) -
He's spent his entire short life absorbing leftist thought by osmosis, and though he likes to think of himself as a critical thinker, he's actually quite shallow.
Blog text (3) -
Sitting in study groups helped me absorb the subject matter by osmosis.
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She gained confidence in her public speaking skills by osmosis from observing her classmates.
Synonyms
31
5.8
Without thinking, your mind is not aware
Antonyms
How Passive
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + osmosis
The expression draws on the scientific meaning of 'osmosis' (gradual absorption through a membrane) and uses it metaphorically to mean acquiring knowledge or habits unconsciously; with knowledge of 'osmosis' and the preposition 'by', a learner can infer this sense. Because the relation is figurative rather than literally compositional, it requires a metaphorical leap and is not fully predictable for all learners.
Etymology
By osmosis comes from a simple science picture: osmosis is when water slowly moves through a thin wall and changes something without a push. So 'by osmosis' means you learn or pick up habits quietly from people around you, 'without being taught'.