habituate
huh-BITCH-oo-ayt
/həˈbɪtʃ.u.eɪt/
To accustom someone or an animal to something through repeated exposure so they pay less attention to it.
Describes a non-associative learning process where neurological responsiveness drops after harmless repetition.
The story behind the word. Habituate traces back to Latin 'habitus', meaning one's ongoing state, appearance, or condition. To habituate is to bring an individual into a settled state where repeated background stimuli cease to disturb them.
Word relationships
- acclimate: Acclimate focuses on adapting to climate or physical environments; habituate focuses on dulling attention to sensory inputs.
- accustom: Accustom is standard general English; habituate is the precise psychological term.
- sensitize: Sensitize increases neurological awareness or reactivity to repeated triggers.
Commonly confused with
- inhabit: Inhabit means to live in a geographic location; habituate means to get used to a stimulus.
Word family
- habituation (noun): The psychological fading of interest or reaction due to repetition.
- habitual (adjective): Done constantly or as a habit.
Collocations
- habituate to noise
- habituate to a environment
- become habituated
- habituate animals
Idioms & expressions
- get used to
- become second nature
Example sentences
- "City dwellers habituate to background traffic noise until they no longer notice trains passing nearby." Neuroscience
- "Wildlife photographers must habituate monkeys to human presence over weeks before capturing natural photos." Zoology
Memory hook
HABIT-uate = make something an everyday HABIT so you stop noticing it. So HABITual you tune it out.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'inhabit' (live in a place) or 'rehabilitate' (restore health/freedom).
Fun facts
- Habituation is considered the simplest, most primitive form of learning, observed in organisms as simple as sea slugs!
Related words
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