ingrained

adjective

variants or less commonly engrained
1
: forming a part of the essence or inmost being : deep-seated
ingrained prejudice
2
: worked into the grain or fiber
ingrainedly
ˈin-ˌgrā-nəd-lē How to pronounce ingrained (audio)
ˈin-ˌgrānd-lē
(ˌ)in-ˈgrā-nəd-lē How to pronounce ingrained (audio)
-ˈgrānd-
adverb
or less commonly engrainedly

Examples of ingrained in a Sentence

These attitudes are very deeply ingrained in the culture. her deeply ingrained distrust of all authority
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But changing user habits is never easy, and the idea of browsing the web is deeply ingrained in users. Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025 Plus, it's become undeniably ingrained in sports culture. Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 2025 Unlike that of any other TV program, SNL’s mystique—behind the hiring process, how to break out on-air, the clockwork nature of the production schedule—has become ingrained in the public imagination. David Sims, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025 But her ambition, more radical than theirs, was to deprogram and rewire a reader’s brain, frustrating her ingrained expectations for the emotional rewards of great literature. Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ingrained

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of ingrained was in 1599

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Cite this Entry

“Ingrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ingrained. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

ingrained

adjective
1
: worked into the grain or fiber
2
: forming a part of the inmost being : deep-seated
ingrained attitudes

More from Merriam-Webster on ingrained

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