habit-forming

American

[hab-it-fawr-ming] / ˈhæb ɪtˌfɔr mɪŋ /

adjective

tending to cause or encourage addiction, especially through physiological dependence.

habit-forming drugs.

habit-forming British

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

Etymology

Origin of habit-forming

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn hired three-time world Sudoku champion Thomas Snyder as its first-ever puzzlemaster and initially launched three daily puzzle games modeled on the short, habit-forming design the Times pioneered -- a number that has grown.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

Coffee is one of the most profitable and habit-forming products in the restaurant business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 3, 2025

According to the formal definition, antidepressants are not habit-forming.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024

"Being kind, not swearing, doing all the good that you do should be used as habit-forming for the future, because if you do it for 30 days it's going to become a habit."

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024

This effect could be true even if the bursts are not addictive, and merely just habit-forming.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023