ENGLISH
REFERENCE

embedded

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ɛmˈbɛdɪd// UK //ɛmbˈɛdɪd// em·bed·ded

v. fixed firmly and deeply inside something else. You use this to describe things that are a permanent part of a larger object or system.

v. fixed firmly and deeply in a surrounding mass; also used figuratively to describe ideas or values that are an integral part of a culture or system.


SIMPLE

The glass shards are deeply embedded in the carpet.

CONTEXTUAL

The journalist lived with the soldiers for months as an embedded reporter during the conflict.

COMPLEX

These traditional beliefs are so deeply embedded in the local culture that modern legal reforms have struggled to gain any significant traction among the rural population.

Synonyms
Origin

From embed + -ed.

Usage

Commonly used as a participial adjective; often followed by the preposition 'in'.

Pitfall

The stone was embedded on the wallThe stone was embedded in the wallThe adjective typically takes the preposition 'in' to indicate being inside a surrounding mass.

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