habit-forming

[ hab-it-fawr-ming ]

/ ˈhæb ɪtˌfɔr mɪŋ /

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adjective

tending to cause or encourage addiction, especially through physiological dependence: habit-forming drugs.

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Origin of habit-forming

First recorded in 1895–1900

Words nearby habit-forming

habitancy, habitant, habitat, habitation, habited, habit-forming, habit spasm, habitual, habitual abortion, habituate, habituation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use habit-forming in a sentence

Unlike former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Huckabee is not immediately forming an exploratory committee.
Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen?|Lloyd Green|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The attendees, who included John Adams and George Washington, set about forming a plan of governance for the new nation.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hollywood has developed a habit of relying on what worked best in the past, and 300 was hugely successful.
Meet Moses the Swashbuckling Israelite|James Romm|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A minute ago I was convinced this wasn't going to work, and now I can feel a script forming.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Does wildlife campaigner Prince Charles's hunting habit make him a hypocrite?
Prince Charles Photographed Shooting, Charges of Animal Cruelty and Royal Hypocrisy Reignited|Tom Sykes|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All our intelligent students will insist upon learning what they can of these discussions and forming opinions for themselves.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
They are ovoid in shape, and lie in pairs, end to end, often forming short chains.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
She and her younger sister, Janet, had quarreled a good deal through force of unfortunate habit.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Doubtless the commentator habit is fixed in the nature of man; but it was pre-eminently mediaeval.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
This habit and the fact that she cares more for color than for drawing are the usual criticisms of her pictures.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement

British Dictionary definitions for habit-forming

habit-forming

adjective

(of an activity, indulgence, etc) tending to become a habit or addiction

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for habit-forming

habit-forming

adj.

Capable of leading to physiological or psychological dependence.