deep-seated

adjective

deep-seat·​ed ˈdēp-ˈsē-təd 

1

: situated far below the surface

a deep-seated inflammation

2

: firmly established

a deep-seated tradition

Synonyms

• bred-in-the-bone
• confirmed
• deep
• deep-rooted
• entrenched
• intrenched
• hard-core
• inveterate
• rooted
• settled

Examples of deep-seated in a Sentence

has deep-seated convictions about religion that no one is ever going to change

Recent Examples on the Web

The rivalry between the Bengals and Ravens has been deep-seated, and Baltimore currently owns a 4-0 record against the Bengals in the past four regular-season showdowns. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

The harm caused by uninvolved parenting can be deep-seated and long-lasting. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025

For Cohen, worldly maturity ushered in an altogether different woundedness, a mesmeric—and distinctly not adolescent—sadness, deep-seated and temperamental but intensified by crippling doubts about his gifts, about his singing especially. —Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024

Moral compass Moral fibre One is rational, explicit, and defined by one’s social or professional community; the other is emotional, deep-seated, and dictated by one’s conscience or god. —Hazlitt, 10 Apr. 2024

Grosvenor’s ties to the royal family are deep-seated. —Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 3 Dec. 2023

My husband’s hitherto unknown, but apparently deep-seated, yen to make pizza first revealed itself two summers ago. —Sunshine Flint, wsj.com, 26 Sep. 2023

By 2019, public distrust of the elite was deep-seated. —Michael C. Desch, Harper's Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for deep-seated

• accreted
• competed
• completed
• conceited
• concreted
• defeated
• deleted
• depleted
• entreated
• intreated
• maltreated
• mistreated

Kids Definition

deep-seated

adjective

deep-seat·​ed

ˈdēp-ˈsēt-əd

1

: set or located far below the surface

2

: firmly established

a deep-seated tradition