Meaning & use
etched
Last updated
“etched” is a form of “etch”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Cut or marked into a hard surface such as glass or metal.
Grammar: Often followed by with or into: glass etched with a pattern.
Patterns
- etched in something
- etched with something
- etched into something
The glass door was etched with a tiny flower.
Their names were etched into the stone.
He admired the etched silver bracelet.
adjectivenot comparablefigurative
Fixed deeply and clearly in the memory or on a face.
Grammar: Used figuratively after be: the scene is etched in my mind.
Patterns
- etched in your memory
- etched on your face
The day of the storm is etched in her memory.
Worry was etched across his face.
The slogan was etched in everyone's mind.
verbtransitive
Past tense of etch: to make a design on a surface by cutting or by using acid.
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of etch.
Patterns
- etched something into something
She etched a heart on the window.
The artist etched the plate with acid.
He etched his initials into the desk.
Common combinations
- etched in memory
- That summer remains etched in memory.
- etched in stone
- The rules are not etched in stone.
- deeply etched
- Deeply etched lines marked the old map.
- etched glass
- The etched glass panel brightened the hall.
- etched on his face
- Exhaustion was etched on his face.
Synonyms and how they differ
- engraved
- Engraved means cut into a surface, often by hand or machine, while etched often suggests acid or a lighter mark.
- carved
- Carved implies cutting away material like wood or stone with a tool, usually more deeply than etching.
- imprinted
- Imprinted suggests pressing a mark onto something, and is common for memories.
- inscribed
- Inscribed stresses that words were written or cut on a surface.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: etched or edged?
etched vs edged
Edged means having a border or sharp side and has no link to cutting a design into something.
Practice
Years later, the moment his team won the final was still ___ in his memory.
Choose one answer.
Etched in memory is the fixed phrase for something unforgettable. Etching is a noun or -ing form and would not complete this passive structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “etched”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.