entrenched

[en-trencht]

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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

1. the simple past tense and past participle of entrench.

Other Word Forms

• unentrenched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of entrenched¹

entrench ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, much of Japan’s entrenched bureaucracy will fight change with all the resources and ingenuity at its command.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

In a world where anti-Blackness and transphobia remain as entrenched as ever, her rise signals both artistic excellence and a profound cultural shift of the stories told about Black and trans experiences.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Some reformers have credited Sheinbaum with confronting corruption, while others say she has been too cautious, too hesitant, to take on a problem deeply entrenched in Mexican politics.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“One Battle After Another” is entrenched in the folly that comes with our ultramodern push-and-pull between two extremist modes of thinking.

Read more on Salon

Few digital-driven protests have translated to fundamental social change, observers point out - especially in places where problems like corruption remain deeply entrenched.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• rooted