Endow
What it means
To provide a person or institution with a lasting resource, quality, or gift.
Reach for it when describing a substantial provision intended to endure
The bequest will endow a free annual residency for rural nurses.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| professional | |
| formal |
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| literary |
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playful
set up for life
Fits when generous financial security warrants exaggeration
Careful The idiom overpromises permanence and sounds crass around charitable purpose.
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everyday
equip
Fits when tools or capabilities are supplied
Careful Equipment supports action but does not carry endow's permanence or gift.
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professional
Fits when supplying money for a defined purpose is enough
Careful Funding may cover one cycle and does not imply lasting provision.
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formal
Fits when a right, quality, or sum is formally bestowed
Careful A grant can be temporary, conditional, and awarded through a process.
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formal
invest with
Fits when an office or person receives authority or dignity
Careful This phrase fits qualities and powers, not ordinary financial provision.
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literary
Fits when ceremonious giving suits the context
Careful Bestow emphasizes the act and status of giving, not durable support.
Opposites 4
- deprive
- strip
- defund
- withhold
Common phrases 3
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endow a scholarship
Alumni raised enough to endow a scholarship for future conservators.
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richly endowed
The region is richly endowed with wind, water, and skilled craftspeople.
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endow someone with
The role does not endow someone with wisdom automatically.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Mélange a trois, British accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated