conditioning

American  

[kuhn-dish-uh-ning] / kənˈdɪʃ ə nɪŋ /

noun

Psychology.

1. Also called operant conditioning, instrumental conditioning.  a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress.

2. Also called classical conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning, respondent conditioning.  a process in which a stimulus that was previously neutral, as the sound of a bell, comes to evoke a particular response, as salivation, by being repeatedly paired with another stimulus that normally evokes the response, as the taste of food.

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conditioning Scientific  

/ kən-dĭsh′ə-nĭng /

1. See classical conditioning

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Other Word Forms

• self-conditioning adjective

Etymology

Origin of conditioning

First recorded in 1915–20; condition + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Jordan, another U.S. regional ally that is also energy-starved, took similar steps, enacting bans on air conditioning in government offices and private use of government vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The Thai government has asked people to take their jackets off as part of measures to cut down on the amount of energy consumed by air conditioning units.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Shares of air conditioning company Carrier Global and electrical component maker Hubbell have also seen “unjustified” gains.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Governments around the world are using everything from four-day workweeks to air conditioning bans to urge citizens to change their behavior to fend off the worst oil-and-gas crunch since the 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

But my lack of conditioning caught up with me on the final tumbling pass.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Related Words

• assignment
• discipline
• drilling
• homework
• preparation
• repetition
• training
• tryout
• workout