English Meaning & Definitions
The action or process of entering or gaining access to an organization, place, etc., surreptitiously and gradually, especially in order to acquire secret information or influence.
- “Counterintelligence agents worked to prevent the infiltration of the agency by foreign spies.”
- “The peaceful protest was disrupted by the suspected infiltration of violent agitators.”
The permeation of a liquid into something, such as soil or porous rock.
- “Heavy rainfall increased the rate of water infiltration into the underground water table.”
- “The concrete was treated with a sealant to prevent moisture infiltration.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “infiltration”.
Derived from the French 'infiltration', from the verb 'infiltrer', formed from the Latin prefix 'in-' (into, in) + 'filtrare' (to filter through a strainer), ultimately from 'filtrum' (felt). Originally used in geology and medicine to describe liquids passing through porous substances, the term later expanded in the 20th century to military and espionage contexts denoting the gradual, covert entry into enemy territory.
Think of a spy who tries to FILTER into an organization slowly and secretly without raising alarms—that is infiltration.
Frequently Asked Questions About “infiltration”
1. What is the meaning of “infiltration” in English?
In English, infiltration (noun) is defined as: “The action or process of entering or gaining access to an organization, place, etc., surreptitiously and gradually, especially in order to acquire secret information or influence.”.
2. How do you use “infiltration” in a sentence?
“Counterintelligence agents worked to prevent the infiltration of the agency by foreign spies.”
3. What are English synonyms of “infiltration”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “infiltration”?
Derived from the French 'infiltration', from the verb 'infiltrer', formed from the Latin prefix 'in-' (into, in) + 'filtrare' (to filter through a strainer), ultimately from 'filtrum' (felt). Originally used in geology and medicine to describe liquids passing through porous substances, the term later expanded in the 20th century to military and espionage contexts denoting the gradual, covert entry into enemy territory.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.