entrenched
Americanadjective
-
firmly or solidly established; placed in a position of strength.
One of the most firmly entrenched ideas of masculinity is that men don't cry.
-
surrounded by trenches dug for defensive purposes.
Government troops had finally been forced to abandon their entrenched positions, making them vulnerable to ground attack.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of entrenched
Explanation
When you're entrenched, you're dug in. Sometimes that means you're literally in a trench, but usually it means you just won't budge from a position or belief. Entrenched things are buried so solidly that they can't move — or just behave like they're firmly lodged in some deep hole. Usually this word refers to views people hold very strongly. Having turkey on Thanksgiving is a tradition that's entrenched in American culture — it's long been established and isn't going anywhere. When you're entrenched, you're being stubborn or consistent, depending on your view.
Vocabulary lists containing entrenched
30 GRE Words Beginning with "E" and "F"
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This Week in Words: February 2 - 8, 2019
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State of the Union Address 2016
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Many of these winning candidates have unseated entrenched incumbents, as 29-year-old Colorado attorney Melat Kiros did to U.S.
From Salon • Jul. 8, 2026
The equal protection clause was written to provide a powerful weapon against entrenched prejudice.
From Slate • Jul. 8, 2026
"Therefore, psychotherapy sometimes has to work relationally. For example, new experiences in the relationship between therapist and patient can gradually help to change entrenched relational patterns."
From Science Daily • Jul. 1, 2026
His ongoing dispute with a folding bicycle and a long-running complaint about the behavior of the upstairs neighbors are, though they make for some very funny interludes, symptomatic of entrenched unhappiness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
They were, as is known to us, stopped in their progress at Great-Bridge, and here they now rest, entrenched, frowning at our stockade across a great marsh.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
