Synonyms of instructing

instructing

verb

present participle of instruct

1

as in teaching

to cause to acquire knowledge or skill in some field

spent his military career instructing young pilots

Synonyms & Similar Words

• teaching
• educating
• training
• indoctrinating
• schooling
• tutoring
• guiding
• lecturing
• coaching
• informing
• preparing
• lessoning
• mentoring
• preaching
• priming
• leading
• grounding
• instilling
• directing
• drilling
• introducing
• inculcating
• showing
• implanting
• familiarizing
• moralizing
• qualifying
• initiating
• edifying
• catechizing
• enlightening
• rearing
• retraining
• habilitating
• briefing
• homeschooling
• fitting
• imparting (to)
• reeducating
• versing
• reteaching
• reschooling

2

as in informing

to give information to

instructed everyone in the use of the new telephone system

Synonyms & Similar Words

• informing
• advising
• telling
• teaching
• briefing
• educating
• acquainting
• familiarizing
• apprising
• notifying
• enlightening
• alerting
• clearing
• filling in
• versing
• catching up
• hipping
• lecturing
• keeping (someone) posted
• letting someone know
• assuring
• convincing
• advertising
• reassuring
• clueing (in)
• wising (up)
• certifying
• disclosing (to)
• announcing (to)
• tutoring
• schooling
• warranting
• disabusing
• undeceiving
• disillusioning
• disenchanting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misleading
• misinforming

3

as in telling

to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority

the proctors instructed everyone to put their pencils down and hand in their tests

Synonyms & Similar Words

• telling
• ordering
• asking
• commanding
• directing
• advising
• enjoining
• begging
• bidding
• requesting
• charging
• warning
• adjuring
• appointing
• requiring
• petitioning
• authorizing
• bossing (around)
• supervising
• forcing
• entreating
• assigning
• controlling
• managing
• beseeching
• commissioning
• coercing
• leading
• overseeing
• counseling
• obliging
• conducting
• compelling
• constraining
• superintending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obeying
• following
• keeping
• observing
• complying (with)
• minding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of instructing

Humans have long been able to teach robots how to do individual tasks, but instructing them on these more sophisticated jobs has been an elusive goal, despite billions of dollars invested into robotics. —Katia Riddle, NPR, 24 Apr. 2026

On March 4, police say classroom-security footage showed Rodriguez instructing the boy and two other students to sit and face her. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2026

Audio of the exchange captures the controller urgently instructing the smaller aircraft, identified as Skylab 25, to stop before directing the UPS jet to go around. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2026

LeVota also retroactively implemented a cap on commercial property values by instructing county staff to manually adjust the 2025 assessments of more than 6,200 spaces. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 15 Apr. 2026

The council unanimously approved three separate but related motions instructing staff to produce data on various elements of Measure ULA. —City News Service, Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026

Riding on buses and trains in Seoul, Lee encountered electronic signs instructing riders on the etiquette of using public transportation. —Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026

The solution was counterintuitive, with NASA instructing the crew to apply more heat more consistently. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026

Blakey also erred in instructing the jury on the Travel Act by including as predicates state offenses that do not require a quid pro quo. —Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026