Ironbound

adj

adj ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Bound with iron, ironclad.
  2. 2
    Rugged. figuratively

    "an ironbound coast"

  3. 3
    Rigid, unyielding. figuratively

    "ironbound traditions"

Example

More examples

"He rose and went down to the kitchen, where he knew a fire was burning, and there the terrified servants were all assembled, all agreeing, as the blast came roaring down the chimney, they never had witnessed such a storm, and between the gusts, breathing shuddering prayers for those who were “out at sea that night.” The vicinity of Melmoth’s house to what seamen call an iron-bound coast, gave a dreadful sincerity to their prayers and their fears."

Etymology

From iron + bound.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.