ingrained

adjective in·grained \ ˈin-ˌgrānd , (ˌ)in-ˈgrānd \

variants: or less commonly engrained

Definition of ingrained

1 :worked into the grain or fiber

2 :forming a part of the essence or inmost being :deep-seated

ingrained prejudice

—

ingrainedly

or less commonly engrainedly play \ˈin-ˌgrā-nəd-lē, ˈin-ˌgrānd-lē, (ˌ)in-ˈgrā-nəd-lē, -ˈgrānd-\ adverb

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Examples of ingrained in a Sentence

These attitudes are very deeply ingrained in the culture.
her deeply ingrained distrust of all authority

Recent Examples of ingrained from the Web

There are so many others out there considering their own ingrained patterns to find the essence, the truth of themselves.

— marceline cook, SELF, "10 Transgender People Share What They Wish They Knew Before Transitioning," 29 Aug. 2017
This perception is so ingrained in our thinking that Kilgore had to write over it.

— horacio salinas, Allure, "The Surprising Placebo Effect of a Luxury Beauty Product's High Price Tags and Fancy Packaging," 25 Aug. 2017
The habits of compromise and civic order are too ingrained, and America will remain a land of plenty for the vast majority.

— david goodhart, National Review, "On the Road to Somewhere, the Divide between Elites and Populists," 21 Aug. 2017
Banning these weapons, like chemical ones before it, would be an uphill battle against an ingrained industry.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Elon Musk, Roboticists Demand Ban of AI Weapons," 21 Aug. 2017
Populism is so ingrained in Argentina that even the majority of Argentines who don’t agree with the piqueteros accept with resignation their practice of shutting down entire parts of the city.

— andrés oppenheimer, miamiherald, "Argentina’s president says populism is over. Then why the massive demonstrations?," 11 Aug. 2017
All of these major pieces of social legislation at first faced skepticism or even opposition — and then became ingrained in American life.

— robert y. shapiro, Washington Post, "Why can’t the Senate repeal Obamacare? Because its policies are actually popular.," 19 July 2017
These accounts fight our ingrained ideas about what makes a war story.

— sloane crosley, Vanities, "What to Read Right Now: Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Sequel, Zinzi Clemmons’s Powerful Debut, and More," 18 July 2017
Even the show’s ideas of parody and sarcasm are definitely ingrained in my comedy sensibilities.

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "'Mystery Science Theater 3000' host Jonah Ray brings the Netflix-revived cult favorite to Philly on its first tour," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ingrained.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of ingrained

1599

ingrained Synonyms

Synonyms

built-in, constitutional, constitutive, essential, hardwired, immanent, inborn, inbred, indigenous, ingrain, inherent (also engrained), innate, integral, intrinsic, native, natural

Antonyms

adventitious, extraneous, extrinsic

Related Words

basic, deep-rooted, elemental, fundamental; congenital, hereditary, inherited, inmost, inner, interior; internal; characteristic, distinctive, peculiar; habitual, inveterate; normal, regular, typical

Near Antonyms

alien, foreign; accidental, coincidental, incidental; acquired, adscititious; superficial, surface; exterior, external

INGRAINED Defined for English Language Learners

ingrained

adjective

Definition of ingrained for English Language Learners

: existing for a long time and very difficult to change : firmly established

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ingrained

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ingrainedly

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