HABIT Synonyms: 187 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'habit' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of habit are custom , practice , usage , and wont . While all these words mean "a way of acting fixed through repetition," habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively. // had a habit of tapping his fingers

Q: When is it sensible to use 'custom' instead of 'habit'?

Although the words custom and habit have much in common, custom applies to a practice or usage so steadily associated with an individual or group as to have almost the force of unwritten law. // the custom of wearing black at funerals

Q: In what contexts can 'practice' take the place of 'habit'?

In some situations, the words practice and habit are roughly equivalent. However, practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice. // our practice is to honor all major credit cards

Q: When could 'usage' be used to replace 'habit'?

While the synonyms usage and habit are close in meaning, usage suggests a customary action so generally followed that it has become a social norm. // western-style dress is now common usage in international business

Q: When can 'wont' be used instead of 'habit'?

The synonyms wont and habit are sometimes interchangeable, but wont usually applies to a habitual manner, method, or practice of an individual or group. // as was her wont , she slept until noon

habit 1 of 2

noun

ˈha-bət

Definition of habit

as in ritual

a usual manner of behaving or doing it was his habit to rise early

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in addiction

a physiological need for certain drugs a cocaine habit of long standing

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in physique

the type of body that a person has an imposing man of vigorous habit

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in clothes

archaic covering for the human body dressed in the habit of a knight from the golden age of chivalry

Synonyms & Similar Words

habit

2 of 2

verb

as in to clothe

to outfit with clothes and especially fine or special clothes his exclusive clothing store had habited the town's upper crust for as long as anyone could remember

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun habit differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of habit are custom, practice, usage, and wont. While all these words mean "a way of acting fixed through repetition," habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively.

had a habit of tapping his fingers

When is it sensible to use custom instead of habit?

Although the words custom and habit have much in common, custom applies to a practice or usage so steadily associated with an individual or group as to have almost the force of unwritten law.

the custom of wearing black at funerals

In what contexts can practice take the place of habit?

In some situations, the words practice and habit are roughly equivalent. However, practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice.

our practice is to honor all major credit cards

When could usage be used to replace habit?

While the synonyms usage and habit are close in meaning, usage suggests a customary action so generally followed that it has become a social norm.

western-style dress is now common usage in international business

When can wont be used instead of habit?

The synonyms wont and habit are sometimes interchangeable, but wont usually applies to a habitual manner, method, or practice of an individual or group.

as was her wont, she slept until noon

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of habit

Noun

Food makers, grocery chains and other retailers are adapting to those changes in consumer habits. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Along with tips for creating a Mediterranean pantry, shopping, menu-pairing, the book also promotes healthy lifestyle habits such as getting regular exercise and enough rest. — Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026 Right now, a lot of the originals reflect their own listening habits. — Brendan Menapace, SPIN, 22 Oct. 2026 Frustrations came to a head beginning in the second half of 2022 when activist investors, including Jeff Smith's Starboard Value, began pushing Salesforce to reconsider its spending habits, improve profitability and prioritize shareholder returns. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for habit

Recent Examples of Synonyms for habit

Noun

Brushing off tombstones is a regular ritual in some cultures, including in Mexico where entire families clean and decorate graves, which are covered with orange marigolds for Day of the Dead.

— Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
What saunas may offer women PT and lymphatic drainage expert Sonia Rose told Women’s Health that warmth has long been a female comfort ritual.

— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of ritual

Noun

Some recent studies have highlighted addiction problems, and some organizations have raised alarm bells that the rise in youth gambling is a public health crisis, which has motivated policymakers to propose legislation to regulate sports betting.

— Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
In March, a Los Angeles jury ordered Meta and Google to pay $6 million in damages to a 20-year-old plaintiff in a bellwether social media addiction trial.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of addiction

Noun

The fact that Drew still gazed upon my more than half-a-century-old, decidedly not-hot physique with love and desire was a marvel and a gift.

— Diana Daniele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
In this iteration, their physiques are displayed not for aesthetic purposes but as a visual manifestation of volatile power.

— Jay Weissberg, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of physique

Noun

Decodo, a web data company, tracked price changes in 2025 across products ranging from electronics to clothing and home improvement supplies.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Travis Kelce reminded Chiefs fans on Sunday that one of his other day jobs is ambassador — and model — for preppy clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of clothing

Verb

If the upstairs is all about wood, downstairs Buck created a more monastic experience with arched hallways clad in Roman Clay from Portola Paints.

— Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026
Tiny Tect Tiny Houses The exterior is clad in metal, with a metal roof.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of clothe

Noun

The latest push to end the practice began in June after an 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after jumping from a runaway carriage.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
The Act, which has been introduced to the Senate but not yet been enacted into law, seeks to establish a program for the active remediation of orbital debris as well as requiring the development of uniform orbital debris standard practices.

— David Zamora, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of practice

Noun

The wide-leg pants keep things relaxed, and the ruched waist on the knit top adds shape and makes the whole look feel more polished than a standard sweatshirt set.

— Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2026
Part of its purpose, from the beginning, was not only to deliver new facts but to interpret ragged events for a nervous audience of relatively prosperous, largely white viewers who shared Wallace’s concern about the shape and tenor of the future.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of shape

Noun

Before the main event kicked off, however, the glitzy Academy Gala red carpet saw all of these A-listers bring out their finest evening attire for the night.

— Christian Allaire, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026
Kendall Jenner and Hunter Schafer, in Valentino and Prada, respectively, wore two of the evening’s most compelling arguments for black and white evening attire.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of attire

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Style

“Habit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/habit. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of habit

noun

verb

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