inure

American  

[in-yoor, ih-noor] / ɪnˈyʊər, ɪˈnʊər /

Also enure

verb (used with object)

inured, inuring

1. to accustom to hardship, difficulty, pain, etc.; toughen or harden; habituate (usually followed byto ).

   inured to cold.

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verb (used without object)

inured, inuring

1. to come into use; take or have effect.

2. to become beneficial or advantageous.

inure British  

/ ɪˈnjʊə, ɪˈnjʊərɪdnɪs /

verb

1. to cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate

2. (intr) (esp of a law, etc) to come into operation; take effect

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Other Word Forms

• inuredness noun
• inurement noun

Etymology

Origin of inure

First recorded in 1480–90; verb use of phrase in ure, en ure “in use, customary,” from Anglo-French en ure “in use, at work,” equivalent to en in + ure (from Latin opera, plural of opus ) “work”; compare French oeuvre

Explanation

To inure is to get used to something difficult or unpleasant. If after spending an hour in your brother's room, you stop noticing the stinky-sock smell, you have become inured to the odor. Although the Latin roots of inure mean "in work," it may be easier to think of "in use" when you see inure. Got new shoes that give you blisters? When they are "in use" long enough, your feet will become inured to the spots that rub, and while you may have calluses, you will not be in pain. You can be inured to more abstract things too. When weathermen constantly play up the next big snowstorm or blizzard, you become inured to it and stop paying attention to them.

Example Sentences

“This will not inure to the benefit of the president.”

From Washington Times • Apr. 15, 2022

"This will not inure to the benefit of the president."

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2022

Diggs appeared to inure his ankle on an 8-yard run by Eno Benjamin on a first-and-19 play.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2022

Perhaps then we’ll avoid practices that inure future generations to what’s really important.

From Washington Post • May 25, 2018

He needed to expose Seabiscuit to a similarly unruly gate horse and inure him to the sight of it.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand