Set in one's ways
Meaning
To be inflexible or resistant to changing one's established habits, opinions, or routines.
Origin
Imagine a blacksmith's forge, where metal, once hot and pliable, cools and hardens, becoming 'set' in its final, unyielding form. This same sense of immovability, of being fixed and resistant to change, slowly crept into the English lexicon to describe human nature. By the early 19th century, particularly highlighted in works like Maria Edgeworth’s novels, people began to be described as 'set in their ways' when their habits, opinions, and routines had become so deeply ingrained they were as unyielding as cooled steel. It captured the stubborn comfort we find in the familiar, a characteristic that can be either endearing or frustrating depending on whether you're the one trying to introduce a new idea.
Examples
- My grandfather, bless his heart, is completely set in his ways and refuses to use a smartphone, preferring his old flip phone.
- It's challenging to introduce new procedures to a team that's been doing things the same way for decades; they are quite set in their ways.