ingrained
/ɪnˈɡreɪnd
/adjective (also engrained)
1(Of a habit, belief, or attitude) firmly fixed or established; difficult to change: his deeply ingrained Catholic convictions...
- So the only thing keeping the reporters in line is their ingrained habit of deference towards a wartime president.
- None of these things are terrible, of course, but they do speak of certain ingrained attitudes towards women.
- The belief in a positive attitude is so ingrained in American thinking.
Synonyms
entrenched, established, fixed, implanted, deep-rooted, rooted, deep-seated, settled, firm, unshakeable, ineradicable, driven in;
inveterate, dyed-in-the-wool, abiding, enduring, stubborn, unfading;
inbred, instinctive, intrinsic, gut
2(Of dirt or a stain) deeply embedded and thus difficult to remove: the ingrained dirt on the flaking paintwork...
- Internal stains in teeth, for example tetracycline stains, are extremely resistant to bleaching because the stain is so deeply ingrained in the teeth.
- He sat there surrounded by filth - thick ingrained dirt.
- Paint was peeling, floors had ingrained dirt, and all of the telephone rooms - very important for detainees' contact with the outside world - were in a disgraceful state.
Synonyms
ground-in, fixed, infixed, planted, implanted, embedded;
permanent, indelible, ineradicable, ineffaceable, inexpungible
