habituate

American  

[huh-bich-oo-eyt] / həˈbɪtʃ uˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

habituated, habituating

1. to accustom (a person, the mind, etc.), as to a particular situation.

   Wealth habituated him to luxury.

   Synonyms:

   train, acclimate, familiarize

2. Archaic. to frequent.

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verb (used without object)

habituated, habituating

1. to cause habituation, physiologically or psychologically.

habituate British  

/ həˈbɪtjʊˌeɪt /

verb

1. to accustom; make used (to)

2. archaic to frequent

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Other Word Forms

• unhabituated adjective

Etymology

Origin of habituate

1520–30; < Late Latin habituātus conditioned, constituted, (past participle of habituāre ), equivalent to habitu ( s ) habit ¹ + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Investors are habituated to buying into weakness caused by geopolitical tumult but JPMorgan warns it may be a bit early to jump back on board Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal

"In earlier cleaner wrasse mirror studies, the procedure was typically the fish see a mirror for several days, they habituate to it and stop reacting socially, and a mark is added," Dr. Sogawa explained.

From Science Daily

Now, 25 years after starting her pioneering research on savannah chimps, which had never before been habituated to observers, primatologist Jill Pruetz has a wealth of data.

From Barron's

Then there are habits: we can habituate ourselves to speed - so fast can feel slow, and vice versa, depending on what you're used to.

From BBC

The process might actually begin much earlier than previously thought, they said, notably when animals became habituated to human environments.

From BBC

Related Words

• accustom