habituated 1 of 2

Definition of habituatednext
as in accustomed
being in the habit or custom not only did the early-morning anchorman become habituated to getting up early, he found he actually liked it

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habituated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of habituate

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 habituated
Adjective
This orangutan is well habituated and sometimes come to a nearby feeding station for food. New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026 As the residential community around Lake Tahoe has grown, bears have been pushed further uphill and become habituated to human food. Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026 Over the years, individual dingoes deemed too habituated to humans have been euthanized, in consultation with the Butchulla people. Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026 In October, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, with help from federal conservation officials, killed four wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack, which had become unusually habituated to preying on cattle from ranches in Sierra Valley. Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Jan. 2026 But the study authors claim that the process begins much earlier, when animals become habituated to human environments. Marina Wang, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2025 Using long-term dietary data of habituated chimpanzees from each of the two field sites, the researchers found that chimpanzees consume about 14 grams of pure ethanol per day of foraging, Dudley said. Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025 The cats have become habituated to the sounds of vehicles, and six jaguars are presently collared and tracked, making their entire life stories visible to researchers. Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
In some cases, DEEP said loud noises are not effective at scaring away bears, especially ones that have already been habituated. Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026 With active conflicts in many parts of the world such as Russia-Ukraine, Pakistan-Afghanistan, and in the Middle East, or humanitarian disaster as in Somalia, the people and states in the world are becoming increasingly war-habituated. Debidatta A. Mahapatra, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026 The process of learning to suppress a response to the rewarding stimulus happens at the level of the reward system—there is a decrease in the size of the dopamine release caused by a particular reward cue once the circuit has become habituated. Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026 But last year, one of the state’s 10 resurgent wolf packs became unusually habituated to hunting and eating livestock instead of wild prey. Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026 Even Americans who have grown habituated to Trump’s excesses have been shaken by these killings and the reflexively cruel and dishonest response from the administration. Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026 In fact, they’d merely been habituated, the way a bird learns to ignore a rhino. AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025 These sediments, the researchers observed, had low bacterial diversity compared to other surrounding sediments, and the bacteria came from families habituated to alkaline environments, such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents or alkaline hot springs. Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for habituated
Adjective
  • The strategy behind the challenge As coaches grow more accustomed to challenges, teams are developing strategies to maximize them.
    Maura Carey, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
  • People have become accustomed to it on the islands.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The bodies discovered near Gilgo Beach had long haunted the community.
    Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
  • He’s being haunted from the future.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Recollect Records is that rare place for DJs and record collectors, especially those seeking used soul, funk, hip-hop and jazz vinyl.
    Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Many high-performance electric mountain bikes can cost as much as a used car, and until now, the brands charging that much had little reason to worry.
    Omar Kardoudi March 30, New Atlas, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The Golden Apple website notes that Tina Fey frequented the restaurant during her time at the Second City and wrote her scripts in the booths.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Glasper, 44, grew up on Houston’s south side and frequented plenty of parking lots across the city in his youth.
    Ryan Nickerson, Houston Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • According to a 14-page civil complaint filed this week, the woman was staying at the hotel for a work trip and had visited the on-site restaurant before the incident.
    Terell Bailey, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The employees of Rockin’ Grandma’s roam the grounds of the retreat site, which boasts multiple structures, and are visited by a series of guest speakers whose lectures range from the merely dull to the truly Dada.
    Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Habituated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/habituated. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

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