habitual
Americanadjective
-
of the nature of a habit; fixed by or resulting from habit.
habitual courtesy.
-
(of a person) having developed a specified character through force of habit.
a habitual gossip.
- Synonyms:
- inveterate, confirmed
- Antonyms:
- occasional
-
commonly used, followed, observed, etc., as by a particular person; customary.
She took her habitual place at the table.
- Synonyms:
- regular, accustomed
- Antonyms:
- unaccustomed
adjective
-
(usually prenominal) done or experienced regularly and repeatedly
the habitual Sunday walk
-
(usually prenominal) by habit
a habitual drinker
-
customary; usual
his habitual comment
Related Words
See usual.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of habitual
First recorded in 1520–30; from Medieval Latin habituālis “relating to dress, condition, or habit,” equivalent to Latin habitu(s) habit 1 + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
If something is habitual, it's what you usually do. Your habitual jeans and t-shirt might work for school, but try dressing up for the opera. Habitual is the adjective form of habit, which comes from the Latin habēre, which meant the mode of one's being, and often referred to the mode of dress. Now habit means anything you do repeatedly — your habitual actions. Perhaps you have a habitual preference for cheeseburgers, which you eat at your habitual restaurant on your habitual Wednesday night out.
Vocabulary lists containing habitual
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Hello, Universe
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To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapters 1–11
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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.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative, pushed back saying that even early American presidents might have qualified as "habitual drunkards" by the standards of today.
From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026
She’s the eldest child of John Cheever, the 20th-century literary titan whose short-story collections and novels were once enormous bestsellers and habitual prizewinners.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
But their more intimate songs portray her as an habitual outsider who doubts her own abilities and motivations.
From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025
This habitual stentorian announcement of what the high court will be deciding was once merely myopic, ignoring ethics violations and judicial behavior as it did.
From Slate • Oct. 2, 2025
The difficulty of shifting so much established work clear across the country could not have been lost on someone whose habitual preference was to stay put.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
