These words refer to things that are fundamental or necessary aspects of some larger pattern. Inherent refers to a principle that underlies or is implicit in a manifest pattern: an inherent tendency to get flustered in tense situations; a respect for human possibility that is inherent in all the works of the Renaissance. When the word emphasizes the implicit nature of the principle, it suggests something that may not be evident but that can be inferred from the situation: a cool politeness that attempted to mask her inherent dislike of people. Innate suggests something deeply imprinted within a pattern and which may not be patently obvious, although it has its effect and cannot, by implication, be easily eradicated: gathering evidence to determine whether instincts are innate or learned responses; tendencies innate in all governmental impulses towards collectivism.

Essential does not necessarily suggest an underlying principle; something may be a quite evident and recent addition and still be essential if it is vital to the existence of the pattern to which it belongs: essential revisions in the proposed bill that made it acceptable to the necessary majority. Frequently, of course, the word does refer, like inherent , to fundamentals; even in this case, however, these fundamentals may be readily apparent rather than hidden or tacit: the essential figures on which our forecast is based. Intrinsic almost exclusively applies to fundamentals that underlie a larger design. The word suggests the irreducible minimum on which the design depends for its effectiveness; it also sometimes suggests that later or less essential excrescences may have coalesced about this minimum without necessarily impairing the functioning of the whole: the intrinsic decency of the common man, regardless of every failure to live up to his own promise; intrinsic weakness of design that makes the machine dangerous to operate – weakness not easily overcome by the addition of safety features.