Dictionary definitions and meanings of the word instance
This post talks about the dictionary definition and meanings of the English word instance. phonetic, phonetics, origin, meanings
Phonetic
ˈɪnst(ə)ns
Phonetics
Text pronounciation: undefined
Listen to the audio pronounciation here
Origin of the word
Middle English: via Old French from Latin instantia ‘presence, urgency’, from instare ‘be present, press upon’, from in- ‘upon’ + stare ‘to stand’. The original sense was ‘urgency, urgent entreaty’, surviving in at the instance of . In the late 16th century the word denoted a particular case cited to disprove a general assertion, derived from medieval Latin instantia ‘example to the contrary’ (translating Greek enstasis ‘objection’); hence the meaning ‘single occurrence’.
Meanings
Part Of speech
noun
Definition
an example or single occurrence of something.
Example
a serious instance of corruption
Synonyms
example,occasion,occurrence,case,representative case,typical case,case in point,illustration,specimen,sample,exemplar,exemplification
Part Of speech
verb
Definition
cite (a fact, case, etc.) as an example.
Example
I instanced Bob as someone whose commitment had certainly got things done
Synonyms
cite,quote,refer to,make reference to,mention,allude to,adduce,give,give as an example,point to,point out,specify,name,identify,bring up,invoke,draw attention to,call attention to,put forward,present,offer,advance,propose