ingrain

¹in·grain

verb \(ˌ)in-ˈgrān\

Definition of INGRAIN

transitive verb

: to work indelibly into the natural texture or mental or moral constitution

Variants of INGRAIN

in·grain also en·grain \(ˌ)in-ˈgrān\

Examples of INGRAIN

1. <the journalism professor has long ingrained his students with a deep respect for their chosen profession>
2. <the third-world privation he had witnessed forever ingrained itself upon the young doctor's memory>

First Known Use of INGRAIN

circa 1641

Related to INGRAIN

Synonyms: endue (or indue), imbue, inculcate, infuse (also engrain), inoculate, invest, steep, suffuse

Antonyms: dislodge, root (out), uproot

Related Words: animate, charge, enliven, invigorate, leaven; implant, instill, plant; impregnate, permeate, pervade, saturate; deluge, drown, fill, flood, inundate, overwhelm, submerge

Near Antonyms: deprive, divest, strip; clear, empty; eliminate, remove, take away

see all synonyms and antonyms

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See Synonym Discussion at infuse

Rhymes with INGRAIN

abstain, again, air lane, airplane, amain, arcane, arraign, attain, Bahrain, Bassein, Beltane, biplane, birdbrain, block plane, bloodstain, boat train, brain drain, bugbane, campaign, champagne, champaign, Champlain, checkrein, chicane, chilblain, choke chain, chow mein, cinquain, cocaine, Cockaigne, Coltrane, coxswain, complain, constrain, contain, cordwain, cowbane, crackbrain, demesne, deplane, destain, detain, detrain, devein, disdain, distain, distrain, dogbane, domain, drivetrain, dumb cane, edge-grain, Elaine, enchain, enplane, entrain, ethane, explain, eyestrain, fast lane, fleabane, floatplane, floodplain, food chain, forebrain, Fort Wayne, Gawain, germane, Great Dane, grosgrain, half plane, henbane, hindbrain, house-train, humane, Hussein, Igraine, immane, inane, insane, jack plane, lamebrain, left brain, lightplane, lo mein, long-chain, Lorraine, maintain, marchpane, membrane, methane, midbrain, migraine, Montaigne, montane, moraine, mortmain, Moulmein, mundane, neck-rein, New Spain, obtain, octane, ordain, pertain, plain-Jane, profane, propane, ptomaine, purslane, quatrain, raise Cain, refrain, remain, restrain, retain, retrain, right brain, romaine, sailplane, sea-lane, seaplane, seatrain, split-brain, sustain, tailplane, tearstain, terrane, Touraine, towplane, triplane, Ukraine, unchain, urbane, vervain, vicereine, villein, volplane, warplane, wave train, wolfsbane