entrenched
entrenched Lexical Profile
entrenched Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Firmly established and difficult or unlikely to change (especially of an attitude, habit, belief, or institution).
"The new director struggled to reform the deeply entrenched bureaucratic habits within the department."
Positioned within or fortified by defensive trenches or earthworks.
"Archaeologists mapped the remains of the entrenched encampment along the ridge."
• Rhymes for entrenched
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed from the verb 'entrench', which entered English in the late 16th century from the prefix 'en-' and 'trench' (from Old French 'trenche', meaning a slice, cut, or ditch). Originally referring to surrounding a military position with defensive ditches, the participial adjective developed its common figurative sense of deeply established habits or beliefs by the 18th century.