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ingrown

American  
[in-grohn] / ˈɪnˌgroʊn /

adjective

  1. having grown into the flesh.

    an ingrown toenail.

  2. grown within or inward.


ingrown British  
/ ˈɪnˌɡrəʊn, ɪnˈɡrəʊn /

adjective

  1. (esp of a toenail) grown abnormally into the flesh; covered by adjacent tissues

  2. grown within; native; innate

  3. excessively concerned with oneself, one's own particular group, etc

  4. ingrained

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ingrown

First recorded in 1660–70; in- 1 + grown

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.

My doctor said it may have been caused by an ingrown hair that became inflamed after collecting debris.

From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026

When I first meet Michael Ontkean in the film, he plays a doctor and I'm there because I've got an ingrown hair under my neck.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2025

The day after the appointment, they woke up with a fever, swollen lymph nodes and what appeared to be an ingrown hair near their groin.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2022

Monkeypox patients have turned up with what looked like mosquito bites, pimples or ingrown hairs, not the large pustules usually associated with the infection.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2022

The sundry men and women who make careers out of scaling the world’s highest peaks constitute a small, ingrown club.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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