adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ɪnˈtɹɪn.zɪk/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N T R IH1 N S IH0 K
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Innate, inherent, inseparable from the thing itself, essential.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
the intrinsic value of gold or silver
the intrinsic merit of an action
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: essential, inherent, innate, proper to, connate, connatural, congenital, congenite, genetous, inborn, inbred, indigenous, ingenite, native, natural, to the manner born, unlearned, unlearnt
Antonyms: extrinsic
2
adj
Meaning 2
Situated, produced, secreted in, or coming from inside an organ, tissue, muscle or member.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Built-in.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
An ability possessed by a character and not requiring any external equipment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: video-games
Examples
You can acquire the fire-resistance intrinsic by eating dragon meat.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective
Meaning 6
belonging to a thing by its very nature- John Dewey
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
form was treated as something intrinsic, as the very essence of the thing
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: intrinsical
Antonyms: extrinsic
7
adjective satellite
Meaning 7
situated within or belonging solely to the organ or body part on which it acts
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
intrinsic muscles
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle French intrinsèque, from Latin intrīnsecus (“on the inside, inwardly”), from *intrim, an assumed adverbial form of inter (“within”) + secus (“by, on the side”).
Across languages
Translations
58 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
присъщ
(prisǎšt)
— inherent
Bulgarian:
свойствен
(svojstven)
— inherent
Catalan:
intrínsec
— inherent
Chinese Mandarin:
本質的
— inherent
Chinese Mandarin:
本质的 /本质
(běnzhì de)
— inherent
Danish:
indre
— inherent
Danish:
egentlig
— inherent
Danish:
iboende
— inherent
Dutch:
intrinsiek
— inherent
Estonian:
sisemine
— inherent
Finnish:
olennainen
— inherent
Finnish:
luontainen
— inherent
Finnish:
erottamaton
— inherent
French:
intrinsèque
— inherent
French:
inhérent
— inherent
French:
immanent
— inherent
Galician:
intrínseco
— inherent
German:
intrinsisch
— inherent
German:
in sich
— inherent
German:
an sich
— inherent
German:
von sich
— inherent
Greek:
εγγενής
(engenís)
— inherent
Hindi:
जन्मजात
(janmajāt)
— inherent
Italian:
intrinseco
— inherent
Korean:
본질적인
(bonjiljeogin)
— inherent
Middle English:
kynde
— inherent
Middle English:
kyndely
— inherent
Norwegian Bokmål:
iboende
— inherent
Norwegian Bokmål:
indre
— inherent
Norwegian Nynorsk:
ibuande
— inherent
Occitan:
intrinsec
— inherent
Polish:
wewnętrzny
— inherent
Polish:
rzeczywisty
— inherent
Portuguese:
intrínseco
— inherent
Romanian:
intrinsec
— inherent
Russian:
прису́щий
(prisúščij)
— inherent
Russian:
свойственный
(svojstvennyj)
— inherent
Russian:
имманентный
(immanentnyj)
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
интринзичан
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
сво̀јствен
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
прирођен
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
у̀рођен
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
intrìnzičan
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
svòjstven
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
prìrođen
— inherent
Serbo-Croatian:
ùrođen
— inherent
Spanish:
intrínseco
— inherent
Swedish:
inneboende
— inherent
Thai:
ในตัว
(nai-dtuua)
— inherent
Thai:
จากภายใน
(jàak paai-nai)
— inherent
Bulgarian:
вътрешен
(vǎtrešen)
— situated or produced inside an organ
Catalan:
intrínsec
— situated or produced inside an organ
French:
intrinsèque
— situated or produced inside an organ
Greek:
σύμφυτος
(sýmfytos)
— situated or produced inside an organ
Italian:
intrinseco
— situated or produced inside an organ
Portuguese:
intrínseco
— situated or produced inside an organ
Russian:
составляющий
(sostavljajuščij)
— situated or produced inside an organ
Spanish:
intrínseco
— situated or produced inside an organ
