entrenched
Americanadjective
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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.
The market debut will be daring: On the surface, IQM risks being drowned out by building the same superconducting quantum architecture championed by much larger, deeply entrenched rivals like IBM and Alphabet’s Google.
From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026
In Nottingham, there was an entrenched culture where perhaps a small number of relatively of senior people were feared by others.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
While annual deficits are narrower than 15 years ago, they are more persistent and more entrenched in national behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Businesses want the mayoral candidates to deal with downtown’s entrenched troubles.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026
That night Finny began to talk abstractedly about it, as though it were a venerable, entrenched institution of the Devon School.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
