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.
After more than five years above target, inflation could become entrenched as businesses and households come to expect it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Now that they are there, they're going to be entrenched," Hisham al-Omeisi, senior analyst at the Brussels-based European Institute of Peace, told the BBC.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Bulls and bears remain entrenched in their robo-taxi opinions.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
But these broad coalitions were fragile, while the economic and institutional power of entrenched oligarchies remained largely intact.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
In England the fact not only became linguistically commonplace; it also became institutionally entrenched, for the Royal Society’s official aim was to establish new facts.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
