entrenched

American  

[en-trencht] / ɛnˈtrɛntʃt /

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.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• unentrenched adjective

Etymology

Origin of entrenched

entrench ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

On Tuesday, the eSafety commissioner said the reform was "unwinding 20 years of entrenched social media practices".

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Speaking at the Brookings Institution on Thursday, he warned that “the longer inflation remains above 2%, the greater the risk that it becomes entrenched in expectations.”

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

“I was so entrenched in why women commit acts of crime,” Alloway said, adding that she was disappointed to find that revenge films on the subject still often revolved around men.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

When gunpowder arrived and the emerging nation-states rendered obsolete the old art of war dominated by feudal lords entrenched in their castles.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 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

Related Words

• rooted