entrench
Establish beyond removal
To entrench is to establish something so firmly that it becomes difficult to change or remove.
The word comes from digging trenches for military defense, and that sense of protected position carries into figurative use: entrenched interests, entrenched beliefs, deeply entrenched habits.
What's entrenched has dug in and won't easily be dislodged.
The reflexive entrench oneself means to settle into a defensive position, literal or figurative.
Fix deeply, permanently
- implantDevice placed inside tissue
- establishCreate formally, permanently
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
- lodgeTemporary woodland dwelling
anchor · fix · settle · cement · solidify · instill · plant · ground
Reinforced subterranean stronghold
- foxholeMilitary defensive excavation
- rampartFortified defensive wall
- parapetLow wall at edge
- bastionFortified defensive position
redoubt · stronghold · garrison · palisade · barricade · bulwark · battlement · citadel
Keep something going indefinitely
- normalizeMake regular or standard
- systematizeArrange into ordered structure
- formalizeMake official or systematic
- legitimizeMake lawful or valid
codify · standardize · bureaucratize · ossify · calcify · rigidify · routinize · regularize
Encirclement forcing surrender
- sapperMilitary construction soldier
- infantryGround combat troops
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- frontlineCombat's forward position
warfare · combat · battalion · defensive · position · flank · stalemate · attrition
Refusing to give way
- immovableIncapable of being shifted
- unshakableImpossible to disturb
- steadfastFirmly loyal, unshakeable
- intransigentRefusing to compromise
obstinate · inflexible · unbending · adamant · tenacious · dogged · recalcitrant · defiant
ingrain
Fix deeply, permanently
- implantDevice placed inside tissue
- establishCreate formally, permanently
- rootUnderground absorbing structure
lodge · anchor · fix · settle · cement · solidify · instill · plant · ground · deepen
bunker
Reinforced subterranean stronghold
bastion · redoubt · stronghold · garrison · palisade · barricade · bulwark · battlement · citadel · blockhouse
perpetuate
Keep something going indefinitely
- normalizeMake regular or standard
- systematizeArrange into ordered structure
- formalizeMake official or systematic
legitimize · codify · standardize · bureaucratize · ossify · calcify · rigidify · routinize · regularize · enshrine
siege
Encirclement forcing surrender
- sapperMilitary construction soldier
- infantryGround combat troops
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
frontline · warfare · combat · battalion · defensive · position · flank · stalemate · attrition · campaign
unyielding
Refusing to give way
- immovableIncapable of being shifted
- unshakableImpossible to disturb
- steadfastFirmly loyal, unshakeable
intransigent · obstinate · inflexible · unbending · adamant · tenacious · dogged · recalcitrant · defiant · uncompromising
entrenchdestabilize
Make unsteady or insecure
unsettle · shake up · disrupt · loosen · liberalize