engender
verb
en·gen·der in-ˈjen-dər 
en-
engendered; engendering in-ˈjen-d(ə-)riŋ
en-
transitive verb
1
: beget, procreate
2
: to cause to exist or to develop : produce
policies that have engendered controversy
intransitive verb
: to assume form : originate
Did you know?
When engender was first used in the 14th century, it meant "propagate" or "procreate," but extended meanings soon developed. Engender comes from the Latin verb generare, which means "to generate" or "to beget." Generate, regenerate, degenerate, and generation are of course related to the Latin verb as well. As you might suspect, the list of engender relatives does not end there. Generare comes from the Latin noun genus, meaning "birth," "race," or "kind." From this source we have our own word genus, plus gender, general, and generic, among other words.
Synonyms
- beget
- breed
- bring
- bring about
- bring on
- catalyze
- cause
- create
- do
- draw on
- effect
- effectuate
- generate
- induce
- invoke
- make
- occasion
- produce
- prompt
- result (in)
- spawn
- translate (into)
- work
- yield
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The issue has engendered a considerable amount of debate. a suggestion to go out for pizza that didn't seem to engender any interest
Recent Examples on the Web The advent of Kogi helped engender an across-the-board understanding that the pluralism of Los Angeles — expressed through the combining of food cultures in thoughtful, appealing ways — didn’t need a label. 
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2022 But despite Jones' legal woes, Holmes said that the culture he's helped engender has gotten a lot bigger. Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 7 Aug. 2022 Here, Svich, with the aid of director Jessi D. Hill, gives us a taste of the physical toll and the clash of cultural perspectives that environmental upheaval can engender. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 Orientation did not engender a conversation but, rather, advanced a viewpoint that presented only two options for dissenters: conformity or ostracization. Abigail Anthony, National Review, 15 July 2022 Leaders who are involved and invested in their employees engender authentic dedication and motivation. Steph Lund, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2021 Could this engender a broader national agreement, or are American motives suspect? Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 May 2022 Extending design theory into the cultural and political realm, Escobar described social design as a means by which traditional and Indigenous peoples engender innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. Carolina Schneider Comandulli, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2022 Harsin continued his endeavors to engender goodwill with the Auburn fanbase by throwing out the first pitch Sunday afternoon at the Tigers’ baseball game against Alabama at Plainsman Park. Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 15 May 2022 See More
Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2022 But despite Jones' legal woes, Holmes said that the culture he's helped engender has gotten a lot bigger. Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 7 Aug. 2022 Here, Svich, with the aid of director Jessi D. Hill, gives us a taste of the physical toll and the clash of cultural perspectives that environmental upheaval can engender. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 Orientation did not engender a conversation but, rather, advanced a viewpoint that presented only two options for dissenters: conformity or ostracization. Abigail Anthony, National Review, 15 July 2022 Leaders who are involved and invested in their employees engender authentic dedication and motivation. Steph Lund, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2021 Could this engender a broader national agreement, or are American motives suspect? Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 May 2022 Extending design theory into the cultural and political realm, Escobar described social design as a means by which traditional and Indigenous peoples engender innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. Carolina Schneider Comandulli, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2022 Harsin continued his endeavors to engender goodwill with the Auburn fanbase by throwing out the first pitch Sunday afternoon at the Tigers’ baseball game against Alabama at Plainsman Park. Nubyjas Wilborn | Nwilborn@al.com, al, 15 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English engendren, from Anglo-French engendrer, from Latin ingenerare, from in- + generare to generate
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
engenders
verb
1
as in creates
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) a suggestion to go out for pizza that didn't seem to engender any interest Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- creates
- causes
- generates
- brings
- prompts
- spawns
- produces
- does
- induces
- invokes
- begets
- yields
- works
- catalyzes
- effects
- makes
- breeds
- effectuates
- promotes
- encourages
- occasions
- brings about
- brings on
- brings forth
- fosters
- inaugurates
- introduces
- draws on
- establishes
- initiates
- translates (into)
- cultivates
- furthers
- nurtures
- results (in)
- enacts
- gives rise to
- renders
- founds
- determines
- begins
- launches
- develops
- nourishes
- starts
- decides
- pioneers
- innovates
- fathers
- contributes (to)
- institutes
- forwards
- conduces (to)
- advances
- sets
- sets up
- turns out
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- restricts
- impedes
- limits
- suppresses
- inhibits
- stifles
- represses
- dampens
- subdues
- smothers
- quells
- restrains
- controls
- squashes
- crushes
- arrests
- retards
- curbs
- reins (in)
- kills
- quashes
- checks
- squelches
- destroys
- abolishes
- extinguishes
- clamps down (on)
- demolishes
- quenches
- cracks down (on)
- liquidates
- snuffs (out)
- puts down
- stills
- cans
2
as in originates
to come into existence feelings of confidence and independence that were only just beginning to engender within her Synonyms & Similar Words
- originates
- arises
- starts
- begins
- commences
- is
- emerges
- appears
- forms
- exists
- materializes
- actualizes
- dawns
- springs
- arrives
- breathes
- lasts
- breaks
- sets in
- subsists
- coalesces
- lives
- endures
- continues
- persists
- coheres
- survives
- comes on
- shapes (up)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ceases
- ends
- stops
- halts
- terminates
- concludes
- vanishes
- disappears
- dissolves
- finishes
- dies
- evaporates
- quits
- departs
- discontinues
- desists
- expires
- perishes
- passes away
- capitalisers
- capitalises
- capitalising
- capitalism
- capitalisms
- capitalist
- capitalistic
- capitalistically
- capitalists
- capitalization
- capitalizations
- capitalize
- capitalize (on)
- eugenists
- eugenol
- eugenols
- eugeosynclinal
- eugeosyncline
- eugeosynclines
- euges
- Euglandina
- euglena
- Euglenaceae
- euglenaceaes
- Euglenales