habituate

verb

ha·​bit·​u·​ate hə-ˈbi-chə-ˌwāt How to pronounce habituate (audio)
ha-,
-chü-ˌāt
habituated; habituating

transitive verb

1
: to make used to something : accustom
2

intransitive verb

1
: to cause habituation
2
: to undergo habituation
habituate to a stimulus

Examples of habituate in a Sentence

the sort of lounge lizard known to habituate bars and nightclubs
Recent Examples on the Web In a country without freedom or good health care, for example, people can habituate to what’s not good rather than struggling against it. Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 Still, with a couple of hours to kill, they were determined, or maybe just habituated, to make and post one of their signature short videos. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Given the park's popularity, the animals here are habituated, and even elusive species such as leopards are super-comfortable around vehicles. Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2021 Kingo, the first western lowland gorilla ever habituated in the wild, has died, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden announced in a Facebook post on Friday. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 5 Jan. 2024 Though the furry thief was beloved online, scientists see an animal dangerously habituated to humans. Dino Grandoni and Melina Mara, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2023 But people habituate to, and then desensitize to, doom overuse. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023 What rose out of the doll’s belly was nothing more than a folk song, habituated and domesticated. Cynthia Ozick, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023 Ukrainians are now habituated to rolling blackouts, but the electricity supply falls far short of what the country needs, inducing severe economic disruption. Thomas Popik, Foreign Affairs, 3 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'habituate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of habituate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near habituate

Cite this Entry

“Habituate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/habituate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

habituate

verb
ha·​bit·​u·​ate hə-ˈbich-ə-ˌwāt How to pronounce habituate (audio)
ha-
habituated; habituating
: to make used to something
habituation
-ˌbich-ə-ˈwā-shən
noun

Medical Definition

habituate

verb
ha·​bit·​u·​ate hə-ˈbich-ə-ˌwāt, ha- How to pronounce habituate (audio)
habituated; habituating

intransitive verb

1
: to cause habituation
marijuana may be habituating
2
: to undergo habituation
habituate to a stimulus

More from Merriam-Webster on habituate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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