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ingrained

ingrained

6 6.4
Firmly fixed in a person, especially a habit or belief, so it is hard to change
  • adjective
  • /ɪnˈɡreɪnd/
translation icon : arraigado
  • Many of our ingrained beliefs about success are shaped by our upbringing.
  • deeply ingrained
  • so ingrained
  • become so ingrained

And and yet they're so culturally ingrained that we just we just repeat them.

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Examples

  • Now, challenging people's ingrained ideas about food is a risky thing.

  • Now, it's become so ingrained in contemporary rock music that it's practically invisible.

    Blog text (20)
  • And it's also just probably the most deeply ingrained thing in him is his mission.

  • But we really feel that the culture, the tradition of the civil law system is too ingrained in that.

    Academic text (1997)
  • You have an ingrained tendency to go your own way, Thomas.

  • MIT faculty have a deeply ingrained sense of service and mission.

  • I grew up in a bread-centric family, and it is fairly ingrained (no pun intended) in me.

    Blog text (13)
  • For experienced teachers, defining goals is often so ingrained that it is automatic—a given that is sometimes not even articulated.

    Academic text (1998)
  • His ingrained habit of waking up early makes him more productive during the day.

  • The idea that hard work leads to success is ingrained in our culture.

Synonyms

deep-seated
vsingrained
24 4.7

A feeling or belief that people cannot easily change

is used more generally for habits and attitudes too
persistent
vsingrained
21 4.3

Returning to your mind often and hard to forget

describes a stable, long held state rather than repeated recurrence
ingrained in
vsingrained
15 5.5

Firmly fixed in a person or group and hard to change

is the general form used across contexts without specifying target
entrenched in
vsingrained
11 6.9

Deeply fixed in a person or group and hard to change

is not limited to systems and fits personal habits too
deep-rooted
vsingrained
8 4.8

A feeling, belief or tradition that is very strong and hard to change

is broader, used for all deeply established personal traits
entrenched
vsingrained
6 6.7

Strongly fixed and hard to change, often about beliefs or habits

is more general and applies beyond institutional positions
rooted
vsingrained
3 3.7

Firmly connected to a particular place, idea, or feeling

focuses more on lasting establishment than mere connection
bred in the bone
vsingrained
  • Informal
1 8.8

A quality someone has from birth that is hard to change

is about long held habits or beliefs, not only innate traits
planted
vsingrained
5.5

Deeply fixed ideas or feelings that are hard to change

is the general adjective, not implying how the idea began
implanted
vsingrained
5.8

Firmly fixed in a person's mind or character

covers lasting establishment without suggesting a deliberate placement action
confirmed
vsingrained
4.2

Having a habit or belief that is unlikely to change

emphasizes deeper roots rather than simply being firmly set
embedded
vsingrained
4.4

Held firmly inside something or made a normal part of a group

applies more to personal habits and beliefs than physical parts
conditioned
vsingrained
  • Specialized
4.3

Learned to react in a certain way through repeated experience or training

is broader, covering both naturally deep and learned establishments

Antonyms

8 3.5

Able to become different or not stay the same

Idioms

15 5.5

Firmly fixed in a person or group and hard to change

How Deep

entrenched
6 6.7
deep-seated
24 4.7
ingrained
6 6.4

Surface Forms

ingrained positive

Morphology

ingrained = ingrain (semi-transparent) = in + grain + ed

Formed from 'ingrain' + -ed; the original literal sense ('fixed in the grain/fibre') has extended metaphorically to 'deeply established', so the connection is not fully obvious to all learners.

Etymology

The word ingrained comes from the prefix in- 'in' and the word grain 'tiny part', like colour fixed into the tiny threads or lines of cloth and wood so it cannot be washed out. So an ingrained habit is one that is very deep and hard to change.