deep-seated

English

Etymology

From deep +‎ seated.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

deep-seated (comparative more deep-seated or deeper-seated, superlative most deep-seated or deepest-seated)

1. Physically located at a deep level.

   Antonyms: superficial, surface-level

   a deep-seated tumour

   Weaknesses in the earth’s crust allow deep-seated heat to rise nearer to the surface.

   • 1741, Alexander Monro, The Anatomy of the Human Nerves‎^[1], Edinburgh: W. Monro and W. Drummond, page 46:

     […] the Ach in the Teeth of the upper Jaw occasions a gnawing Pain deep seated in the Bones of the Face,

   • 1852, Susanna Moodie, chapter 4, in Roughing it in the Bush‎^[2], volume 2, London: Richard Bentley, page 76:

     winking knowingly with his comical little deep-seated black eyes

   • 1961, Leon Uris, Mila 18‎^[3], Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Part 3, Chapter 7, p. 328:

     He washed [the food] down with beer and produced a deep-seated belch.

   • 2010, Gary Shteyngart, Super Sad True Love Story‎^[4], New York: Random House, page 187:

     Some of the older people had started weeping, the kind of hemorrhaging, deep-seated sound that can only bring relief to the sufferer.

   • 2022 September 21, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: Western”, in RAIL, number 966, page 26:

     Swindon: Deep-seated heavy corrosion in the cast-iron station canopy supports may force their replacement when funding is available.

2. (figurative) Firmly implanted or established in thought or behavior and difficult to change; deeply ingrained.

   Synonyms: bred-in-the-bone, deep-rooted, deep-lying

   She has a deep-seated belief in the essential goodness of human nature.

   • 1834, Maria Edgeworth, chapter 13, in Helen‎^[5], volume 3, London: Richard Bentley, pages 261–262:

     […] instead of the bright beams that used to play in those eyes, there was now a dark deep-seated sorrow, almost despair.

   • 1886 January 5, Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC:

     a look in the eye and quality of manner that seemed to testify to some deep-seated terror of the mind

   • 1989, Shashi Tharoor, The Great Indian Novel‎^[6], New York: Arcade Publishing, Book 18, p. 406:

     Godmen are India’s major export of the last two decades […] . Once in a while, however, they also acquire a domestic following, by appealing to the deep-seated reverence in all Indians for spiritual wisdom and inner peace,

   • 2004, Colm Tóibín, chapter 11, in The Master‎^[7], London: Picador, page 316:

     Alice, his sister-in-law, he was sure, had meant her offer kindly, and William’s advice had not been ill-intentioned, but they both suffered from a need, he felt, so deep-seated as to be well beyond their understanding, to have him act on their advice.

   • 2024 April 3, Howard Johnston, “Network News: Weak bosses and staff blamed for Crossrail overspend”, in RAIL, number 1006, page 20:

     However, little was done, and it was only following new skilled appointments to the Crossrail board that it got a firm grip, with daily meetings held to resolve many of the deep-seated issues.

Synonyms

• (firmly implanted): See also Thesaurus:inveterate

See also

• deep-seeded (nonstandard, eggcorn)