bred-in-the-bone

[ bred-n-thuh-bohn ]

adjective

1. firmly instilled or established as if by heredity:

   the bred-in-the-bone integrity of the school's headmaster.

2. deeply committed or resolved; unwavering:

   a bred-in-the-bone believer in civil rights.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bred-in-the-bone¹

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; from the proverb “What is bred in the bone will not come out of the flesh,” first recorded in England (in Latin ) circa 1290, and widespread in various versions

Example Sentences

Liebling, and its power came from a bred-in-the-bone love of what we eat and how we eat it.

From Washington Post

Leaders such as Nataki Garrett, who became Oregon Shakespeare’s sixth artistic director in 2019, talk about the bred-in-the-bone white assumption of superiority as a “construct” on which the culture is based.

From Washington Post

“An actor whose presence is always welcome, Ruffalo is splendid at projecting the unusual combination of bred-in-the-bone idealism with mulish stubbornness that made it impossible for Bilott to walk away .… Seeing ‘Dark Waters’ makes you wonder not why more people don’t call corporations to account, but why anyone does.

From Los Angeles Times

An actor whose presence is always welcome, Ruffalo is splendid at projecting the unusual combination of bred-in-the-bone idealism with mulish stubbornness that made it impossible for Bilott to walk away.

From Los Angeles Times

Her bred-in-the-bone positivity has left its mark on her son.

From New York Times