PoliticsSeptember 2, 2026
ossified
OS-uh-fied
Definition
To have become rigid, hardened, or unresponsive to change; unable to adapt or evolve.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'os' meaning 'bone' and 'facere' meaning 'to make,' the term originally referred to the biological process of turning into bone. It was later adapted metaphorically to describe institutions or ideas that have become inflexible.
In the news
The article uses 'ossified' to describe how political attitudes have become so set in their ways that public policy debates have become polarized and impossible to reconcile.
The case for ‘working-class liberalism’
Read the full article ↗Prospect Magazine