habit-forming
adjective
hab·it-form·ing
ˈha-bət-ˌfȯr-miŋ 
: inducing the formation of an addiction
a habit-forming drug
Examples of habit-forming in a Sentence
warned the patient to be careful, because morphine can be habit-forming
Recent Examples on the Web
But not all ultraprocessed foods are habit-forming.
—
Sandee Lamotte,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
According to the announcement, spotted by The Verge, the chatbot will only prescribe medications that are considered lower risk, for example SSRIs like sertraline (Zoloft) for depression rather than habit-forming drugs like benzodiazepines or some ADHD drugs like Adderall.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
4 Apr. 2026
Aggregators will keep winning on habit-forming UX and algorithmic discovery.
—
Lin Cherry,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
The protective effect was seen across a wide variety of addictive and habit-forming substances, including cocaine, opioids, alcohol, nicotine and cannabis, adding further evidence to a phenomenon previously flagged in smaller studies.
—
Nancy Lapid,
USA Today,
5 Mar. 2026
Consumer platforms are designed to be intuitive, frictionless, and in many cases habit-forming.
—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes.com,
27 Feb. 2026
The argument is that these products were built with dangerously habit-forming features—including the endless-scroll feed, algorithmic recommendations, and push notifications—that have led to an array of serious health problems.
—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Scientists theorize this happens because happy memories trigger the release of habit-forming chemicals like dopamine.
—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
12 Dec. 2025
As a purist, Murray defines sobriety as being completely abstinent from habit-forming substances that could cause dependency, including prescription drugs like Xanax and Suboxone.
—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
23 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Sandee Lamotte,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
According to the announcement, spotted by The Verge, the chatbot will only prescribe medications that are considered lower risk, for example SSRIs like sertraline (Zoloft) for depression rather than habit-forming drugs like benzodiazepines or some ADHD drugs like Adderall.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
4 Apr. 2026
Aggregators will keep winning on habit-forming UX and algorithmic discovery.
—
Lin Cherry,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
The protective effect was seen across a wide variety of addictive and habit-forming substances, including cocaine, opioids, alcohol, nicotine and cannabis, adding further evidence to a phenomenon previously flagged in smaller studies.
—
Nancy Lapid,
USA Today,
5 Mar. 2026
Consumer platforms are designed to be intuitive, frictionless, and in many cases habit-forming.
—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes.com,
27 Feb. 2026
The argument is that these products were built with dangerously habit-forming features—including the endless-scroll feed, algorithmic recommendations, and push notifications—that have led to an array of serious health problems.
—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Scientists theorize this happens because happy memories trigger the release of habit-forming chemicals like dopamine.
—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
12 Dec. 2025
As a purist, Murray defines sobriety as being completely abstinent from habit-forming substances that could cause dependency, including prescription drugs like Xanax and Suboxone.
—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Habit-forming.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/habit-forming. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
habit-forming
adjective
hab·it-form·ing
ˈhab-ət-ˌfȯr-miŋ
: inducing the formation of an addiction
a habit-forming prescription painkiller
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