habituate

verb

ha·bit·u·ate | \ hə-ˈbi-chə-ˌwāt

, ha-, -chü-ˌāt\

habituated; habituating

Definition of habituate

transitive verb

1 : to make used to something : accustom

2 : frequent sense 1

intransitive verb

1 : to cause habituation

2 : to undergo habituation habituate to a stimulus

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about habituate

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Synonyms & Antonyms for habituate

Synonyms

affect, frequent, hang (at), haunt, resort (to), visit

Antonyms

avoid, shun

Examples of habituate in a Sentence

the sort of lounge lizard known to habituate bars and nightclubs

Recent Examples on the Web

Coyotes, in response to the increase of human presence and human attractants, are being habituated or desensitized to humans. — Sara Cardine, La Cañada Valley Sun, "Coyote encounters too close for some La Cañada residents, pet owners," 5 Sep. 2019 Investors are habituated to financial fiascos in Argentina but even so the news has come as a rude shock: the price of Argentina’s sovereign bonds traded in Europe tumbled by about 5% the day after the announcement. — The Economist, "Argentina’s beleaguered government imposes capital controls," 2 Sep. 2019 At this point in life, I’m habituated to the inevitability that the most impotent mid-season episodes of a Netflix drama will also be the ones that are 57 minutes long. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The TV Is Too Damn Long," 9 June 2019 Some goats have become habituated, or accustomed to people. — Evan Bush, The Seattle Times, "‘Cute little cotton-ball herd’: Orphaned mountain goat kids released at wildlife park," 13 Nov. 2018 Those working with the prized bears bound for the wild—Vitale included—don panda suits that both look and smell like their tiny charges, preventing them from habituating to humans. — Maya Wei-haas, Smithsonian, "Why Photographing Pandas Is More Challenging Than You Might Think," 21 May 2018 Past breeding attempts were based on the idea that by minimizing contact with their human keepers, the captive creatures don't habituate to their strange hairless helpers. — Maya Wei-haas, Smithsonian, "The Science Behind the Unbearably Cute IMAX Movie “Pandas”," 6 Apr. 2018 The normally skittish apes are hard to see in the wild, except for a few populations that have been habituated to the presence of humans. — Nick Lunn, National Geographic, "Wild Gorilla Cuddles Its Newborn Baby in Rare Video," 13 Mar. 2018 Women habituated to this style of interacting with others are perhaps not the best prepared to fight back if they are mistreated. — Judy Dushku, The Cut, "I’ve Been a Mormon for 75 Years. Here’s What I Know About the Church and Assault.," 13 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'habituate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.