adjective
-
(esp of a toenail) grown abnormally into the flesh; covered by adjacent tissues
-
grown within; native; innate
-
excessively concerned with oneself, one's own particular group, etc
-
ingrained
Etymology
Origin of ingrown
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
Fissures had formed in the 55-year-old Asian elephant’s foot pads, and her toenails had cracked and become ingrown.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
“Sometimes when I shaved, the wool uniform would irritate my skin and cause ingrown hairs or a rash,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
