What does assimilate mean?
To assimilate is to take something in and make it part of a larger whole — whether that means absorbing new ideas into one's understanding, incorporating nutrients into the body, or becoming absorbed into a dominant culture or society. The word derives from Latin roots meaning 'to make similar,' and this sense of transformation runs through all its uses. In everyday intellectual contexts, we speak of assimilating information or concepts after studying them. In sociology, assimilation describes the process by which immigrants or minority groups adopt the language, customs, and identity of a host society — a usage that can carry political weight, since it may imply conformity at the expense of distinct cultural traditions. In biology, assimilation refers to how organisms convert nutrients into living tissue. Relatedly, in phonetics it describes sounds becoming alike in speech. Versatile and precise, assimilate serves scholars, scientists, and general writers alike.
To take in and absorb information, ideas, or experiences until they are fully understood and integrated.
"She paused to assimilate the implications of what he had just told her."
(Of a person or group) To become absorbed into a larger community, culture, or system, typically adopting its customs and characteristics.
"Many families found it difficult to assimilate after moving to a new country."
(Of organisms) To convert absorbed nutrients into the substance of the body's tissues.
"The body cannot assimilate iron efficiently without sufficient vitamin C."
Assimilate comes from the Latin 'ad' (to) + 'similis' (like) — literally, to make something 'like' yourself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of assimilate
Assimilate comes from the Latin verb assimulare, formed from ad- ('to, toward') and similis ('like, similar'), originally meaning 'to make similar to' or 'to compare.' The word entered English in the early 15th century, first in the sense of comparing things, with its modern senses of absorption and incorporation developing later. It shares its Latin root similis with words such as similar, simulate, and dissimilar.
Related word forms
How assimilate is actually used
Assimilate is largely neutral in register but carries sensitive connotations in discussions of immigration and culture, where it can imply pressure on minority groups to conform; writers sometimes prefer 'integrate' to avoid this implication.
Easily confused with assimilate
Simulate means to imitate or reproduce something's appearance or behavior, while assimilate means to absorb something into oneself or a larger whole.