habituation

noun

ha·​bit·​u·​a·​tion hə-ˌbi-chə-ˈwā-shən 

ha-,

-chü-ˈā-

1

: the process of habituating : the state of being habituated

2

a

: tolerance to the effects of a drug acquired through continued use

b

: psychological dependence on a drug after a period of use compare addiction

3

: decrease in responsiveness upon repeated exposure to a stimulus

Examples of habituation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The team plans to look at how animals get used to recreational noises over time — a term called habituation. —Elizabeth Walsh, Idaho Statesman, 9 July 2024

Are some groups of people more susceptible to habituation than others? —Andrew Limbong, NPR, 26 June 2024

Notwithstanding this resourcefulness and despite the public’s habituation to the war, Russian elites know the damning statistics. —Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024

There is the rush, the perhaps unconscious desire to replicate the rush, and there is habituation and addiction. —Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

habituation

noun

ha·​bit·​u·​a·​tion -ˌbich-ə-ˈwā-shən 

1

: the act or process of making habitual or accustomed

2

a

: tolerance to the effects of a drug acquired through continued use

b

: psychological dependence on a drug after a period of use compare addiction

3

: a form of nonassociative learning characterized by a decrease in responsiveness upon repeated exposure to a stimulus compare sensitization sense 3