habitation

noun

hab·​i·​ta·​tion ˌha-bə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of inhabiting : occupancy

not fit for human habitation

2

: a dwelling place

3

: settlement, colony

Synonyms of habitation

• occupancy
• occupation

Examples of habitation in a Sentence

The house was not fit for human habitation.

a wilderness area with few habitations

Recent Examples on the Web

He is credited as the first and most significant contributor to South Florida archaeology of the time, classifying materials, recording 49 sites across Miami-Dade and making the first outline of a chronology of indigenous habitation. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026

Combined with Cape Ann’s northeasterly location along the East Coast jutting out into the Atlantic, the lighthouse would have been one of the first signs of human habitation people making the trip from Western Europe to America would have seen. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Cornelius Houston will face charges of burglary of a habitation with intent to commit other felony and unlawful restraint, according to Fort Worth jail records. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 June 2026

The plan to buy large warehouses unfit for human habitation and spend millions more to convert them to prisons sparked nationwide backlash and pointed resistance in Social Circle and Oakwood. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 19 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English habitacioun, from Anglo-French habitaciun, from Latin habitation-, habitatio, from habitare to inhabit, frequentative of habēre

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for habitation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

habitation

noun

hab·​i·​ta·​tion ˌhab-ə-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act of inhabiting : occupancy

2

: a dwelling place : residence

Legal Definition

habitation

noun

hab·​i·​ta·​tion ˌha-bə-ˈtā-shən 

1

a

: the act of occupying or inhabiting

b

in the civil law of Louisiana : the right of a person to dwell in the house of another

2

: a dwelling place