Synonyms of habit-forming

habit-forming

adjective

ˈha-bət-ˌfȯr-miŋ 

as in addictive

causing or relating to a physiological need for certain drugs

warned the patient to be careful, because morphine can be habit-forming

Synonyms & Similar Words

• addictive
• addicting
• narcotic
• hard

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nonaddictive
• soft

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of habit-forming

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