accustomed

adjective ac·cus·tomed \ ə-ˈkəs-təmd \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

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Examples: accustomed in a Sentence

Definition of accustomed

1 : often used or practiced : customary

her accustomed cheerfulness

2 : adapted to existing conditions

eyes accustomed to the dark

3 : being in the habit or custom

a team accustomed to winning

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accustomedness

play \-təm(d)-nəs\ noun

See accustomed defined for English-language learners

See accustomed defined for kids

Examples of accustomed in a Sentence

She arrived early enough to get her accustomed seat in the front row.
Josh felt uncomfortably full, as he was not accustomed to eating so much.

Recent Examples of accustomed from the Web

The teachers realized that students from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Central Africa often are accustomed to more spicy and flavorful cuisines.

— anya van wagtendonk, Philly.com, "For these immigrants, flipping pancakes and learning English go hand-in-hand," 12 July 2018
The 28-year-old is accustomed to playing on the right wing and cutting inside onto his dominant left foot, a feature of his game which returned 14 goals and ten assists across 40 games for Torino last season.

— SI.com, "Leicester City Turn to Former Tottenham Winger in Search for Riyad Mahrez Replacement," 12 July 2018
If the application process is easier than researchers are accustomed to, the review process will be tougher for King and the various subcommittees of Social Science One.

— robbie gonzalez, WIRED, "Facebook Opens Its Private Servers to Scientists Studying Fake News," 11 July 2018
Former officials in the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement say its system is accustomed to serving teenagers who arrive in the U.S. alone, often knowing the name of a relative who could potentially sponsor them.

— Washington Post, "Reuniting separated families: Why is it taking so long?," 10 July 2018
The semi-arid country is accustomed to periods of drought, but Mesimeris said the frequency of these dry conditions is expected to increase over the next decade.

— NBC News, "Cyprus turns off taps to farmers as fresh water levels drop," 22 June 2018
This kind of request is not unusual: their concierge is accustomed to arranging helicopter tours, yachting excursions, yoga and pilates lessons, archeological visits, and mezze crawls—pretty much anything that’s legal.

— laura itzkowitz, GQ, "Skip Santorini and Head to These Lesser-Known Greek Islands Instead," 14 June 2018
When the economy was struggling, employers became accustomed to inboxes flooded with résumés and snaking lines of eager applicants.

— patricia cohen, BostonGlobe.com, "Paychecks lag as profits soar, and prices erode wage gains," 14 July 2018
O’Brien said he's become accustomed to a new position on a regular basis throughout his career.

— bob narang, Lake County News-Sun, "Comeback kids: Marcus Maristela and Kevin O’Brien help Grayslake Central reach regional championship game," 13 July 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of accustomed

Middle English acustumed "customary, used (to)," from past participle of acustomen "to accustom"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

accustomed Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of accustomed

usual, customary, habitual, wonted, accustomed mean familiar through frequent or regular repetition. usual stresses the absence of strangeness or unexpectedness.