Words / C1

uh-SIM-uh-layt/əˈsɪməleɪt/

To assimilate is to take information in until it becomes usable, or to become part of a group without remaining a permanent outsider. Absorb is close for facts; understand can be shallow. Integrate is a common policy cousin for people joining a society. Assimilation is the noun, sometimes controversial in politics. In class, let it sink in is the everyday paraphrase.

Meaning

To take in and understand information, or to become part of a group.

Examples

• “It takes time to assimilate so many new words.”
• “New staff need months to assimilate the unwritten rules.”
• “She had read the chapter but not yet assimilated the argument.”

Good to know

assimilate information / into a group. Close: absorb (facts), integrate (people). Formal.

Near in meaning

absorb

New