Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INTRINSIC

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pronounce INTRINSIC: Say it "in TRIN zick." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: On an episode of Firefly, we in the audience are led to believe that our heroes are pirating a case of gold bars. But the bars turn out to be something with a much greater intrinsic value. They're food. "Genuine A-grade foodstuffs. Protein, vitamins, immunization supplements. One of those'll feed a family for a month." The bars are better than gold: they're intrinsically valuable. Naturally valuable. Valuable in and of themselves. Valuable __nately. Valuable imm__ently. Can you recall those last two synonyms? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: The word "intrinsic" comes from a Latin adverb meaning "on the inside." Intrinsic parts and pieces of things are the kind that naturally belong there. In other words, to be an intrinsic part of something is to be a basic, natural inner part of it. grammatical bits: Part of speech: Adjective: "the activity's intrinsic value," "the joys intrinsic to life in the country." Other common forms:  The adverb is "intrinsically." The noun is "intrinsicality." (Or "intrinsicalness," which looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.) The exact opposite of "intrinsic" is "extrinsic," meaning "outside, external, or not naturally belonging to something." The other forms are "extrinsically" and "extrinsicality" (or "extrinsicalness," ew). how to use it: "Intrinsic" is a wonderful word: common, clear, and formal with a warm, positive tone. Reach for it when the adjectives "typical" or "characteristic" are a little too cold. We most often talk about the intrinsic value of things, or the intrinsic parts, traits, features, qualities, or characteristics of things. We might also talk about the intrinsic relationship between or among things. Often we say that a part is intrinsic to the whole: "the danger intrinsic to motorcycling," "the softness intrinsic to cashmere;" "this opulence is intrinsic to the ballet" (New York Times). Although "intrinsic" most often carries a positive tone, it doesn't have to: you might talk about intrinsic threats, frustrations, or biases. examples: "Born into a club, in a city, in a country where football is intrinsic to identity, history and tradition, he is now conquering the new, in every sense."    — Marcela Mora y Araujo, The Guardian, 24 August 2018 "Investing in our citizens is simply the right thing to do, as it means we recognize and value the intrinsic potential of the talent present in every corner of our country."    — Dario Gil, Scientific American, 20 August 2020 has this page helped you understand "intrinsic"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "intrinsic" without saying "innate" or "built-in." try it out: As a kid, did you see intrinsic value in reading? That is, did you enjoy reading because it was wonderful all on its own, even if no one was giving you shiny star stickers for doing it? If not, what was another activity that you did find intrinsically valuable? According to some educational psychologists, if kids get extrinsic rewards (like stickers or pizza parties) for completing academic tasks (like reading a certain number of books), then--eek--they no longer see as much intrinsic value in the tasks. "They had to pay me off in pizza? I guess reading sucks after all."  Thinking about the kinds of extrinsic rewards you earned as a kid, talk about whether or not they seemed to diminish the intrinsic value you saw in the tasks. If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our game for February is "Piece It Together." Use your knowledge of the given terms to define a related, ultra-rare term. For example, you could use your knowledge of CELLULAR and MULTUM IN PARVO ("a lot in a little") to define the ultra-rare PARVOCELLULAR as "small-celled." To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Enjoy! Try this one today:  Use INTRINSIC and TAEDIUM VITAE to define INTRA VITAM. review this word: 1. The precise opposite of INTRINSIC is EXTRINSIC. But a pretty close opposite of INTRINSIC is A. EXTANT. B. EXTERNAL. C. EXTRAORDINARY. 2. In The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell calls certain people Connectors, those "with a special gift for bringing the world together." He says: "Their ability to span many different worlds is a function of something intrinsic _____ their personality, some combination of curiosity, self-confidence, sociability, and energy." A. of B. to C. for Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B Answer to the game question: Something that happens INTRA VITAM happens during life. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.