BRED-IN-THE-BONE Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

bred-in-the-bone

adjective

ˈbre-dᵊn-t͟hə-ˌbōn

Definition of bred-in-the-bone

as in chronic

being such by habit and not likely to change a bred-in-the-bone Democrat who always votes a straight ticket

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in deep

firmly established over time bred-in-the-bone honesty earned him the nickname of "Honest Abe"

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bred-in-the-bone

Adjective

The Justice Department had sought no fewer than 80 years in prison, while Alsheikh requested five years, citing his age and his chronic medical conditions.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
The painting is dedicated to Leo Eloesser, a San Francisco Bay Area physician who helped Kahlo with her chronic pain.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of chronic

Adjective

The Ebola outbreak centered in the eastern Ituri province is the fastest-growing in the disease’s history and remains out of control with 5,713 confirmed cases, including 2,744 deaths, according to Congolese health authorities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Elliott matter-of-factly told the story about his name, as well the later discovery through 23andMe of his biological father’s likely identity and the confirmed existence of many half siblings, just by pushing a button.

— Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of confirmed

Adjective

The dolls feature fashionable clothing, long rooted hair and collective accessories, among other features, that represent their particular emotion.

— Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Adoption could be rapid because deeper-rooted crops could be planted on current farm fields using existing agricultural infrastructure and land, according to the study.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of rooted

Adjective

United never looked settled defending corners or set pieces, which further encouraged the home fans to get behind their team.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Jacobs launched Marc by Marc Jacobs in 2001, cementing his eventual status as a fashion mogul — and, at moments throughout his career, as a kind of enfant terrible who, as it’s shown in this documentary, has cooled down a bit, more settled and reflective in his late career.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2026

Definition of settled

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

bred

bred-in-the-bone

breech

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bred-in-the-bone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bred-in-the-bone. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bred-in-the-bone

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nemesis

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes