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

• occupancy
• occupation
• possession
• residency

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

Alaska’s vast wilderness has been a testing ground of human endurance for millennia as the gateway for human habitation of the Americas. —Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025

Air travel rules for kids suggest legal frameworks for longer, deeper excursions — and eventually permanent habitation — in space. —Dave S. Brody, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025

The base itself was a study in the feasibility of long-term human habitation on the ice sheet. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025

All of this is now possible thanks to an advanced 3D printing-welding approach that can print these large habitation structures. —IEEE Spectrum, 31 Dec. 2024

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