entrenches
Establishes firmly, deeply
Entrenches means establishes something so firmly that it becomes difficult to change or remove.
The word comes from digging defensive trenches—once you're dug in, you're hard to dislodge.
Policies, habits, and beliefs all entrench themselves: The ruling entrenches corporate power, Years of practice entrenched his technique.
To entrench oneself is to establish a secure, defended position.
Fixes within something
- ingrainsFixes deeply within
- fixesRepairs or solutions
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
- anchorsWeighted devices securing vessels
cements · solidifies · implants · lodges · instills · secures · plants · grounds
Fortifies one's position
- stubbornnessRefusal to yield
- intransigenceRefusal to compromise
- obstinacyUnyielding adherence to position
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
holds firm · immovable · inflexible · recalcitrance · defiance · holdout · stonewalling · rigidity
Strengthens against threat
- digs inFortifies one's position
- bunkersFortified underground chambers
- foxholesMilitary defensive excavations
- trenchesElongated ground excavations
dugouts · earthworks · revetments · parapets · sandbags · barbed wire · pillboxes · strongpoints
Causes to endure indefinitely
- reinforcesStrengthens or supports further
- deepensIncreases in degree
- institutionalizesMakes formally established
- structuralRelating to building framework
vested interests · status quo · bureaucracy · hierarchy · privilege · corruption · incumbency · patronage
embeds
Fixes within something
anchors · cements · solidifies · implants · lodges · instills · secures · plants · grounds · settles
digs in
Fortifies one's position
- stubbornnessRefusal to yield
- intransigenceRefusal to compromise
- obstinacyUnyielding adherence to position
holds firm · unyielding · immovable · inflexible · recalcitrance · defiance · holdout · stonewalling · rigidity · hardening
fortifies
Strengthens against threat
- digs inFortifies one's position
- bunkersFortified underground chambers
- foxholesMilitary defensive excavations
trenches · dugouts · earthworks · revetments · parapets · sandbags · barbed wire · pillboxes · strongpoints · redoubts
perpetuates
Causes to endure indefinitely
- reinforcesStrengthens or supports further
- deepensIncreases in degree
- institutionalizesMakes formally established
structural · vested interests · status quo · bureaucracy · hierarchy · privilege · corruption · incumbency · patronage · old guard
entrenchesdismantles
Takes something apart systematically
abolishes · overturns · eradicates · undermines · destabilizes