What does "habitual" mean?
One who does something habitually, such as a serial criminal offender.
Habitual
/həˈbɪ.tʃʊ.əl/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who does something habitually, such as a serial criminal offender.
- Grammar: habitual is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: customary, accepted, accustomed, accustomed.
- Useful contrasts: conscious, deliberate, infrequent.
- Usage evidence: Grandfather sat in his habitual place near the fire.
How to use "habitual"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "habitual" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "habitual" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "habitual" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "habitual" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "habitual" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "customary" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "habitual", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who does something habitually, such as a serial criminal offender. colloquial
"It has been suggested that we should classify prisoners as casuals and habituals. If a casual is to be distinguished from an habitual simply by the length of his sentence, this classification would hardly answer."
- 2 A construction representing something done habitually.
"Since any situation that can be protracted sufficiently in time, or that can be iterated a sufficient number of times over a long enough period – and this means, in effect, almost any situation – can be expressed as a habitual, it follows that habituality is in principle combinable with various other aspectual values, namely those appropriate to the kind of situation that is prolonged or iterated."
Adjective
- 1 Of or relating to a habit; established as a habit; performed over and over again; recurrent, recurring.
"Her habitual lying was the reason for my mistrust."
- 2 Regular or usual.
"Professor Franklein took his habitual seat at the conference table."
- 3 Of a person or thing: engaging in some behaviour as a habit or regularly.
"He’s a habitual chain-smoker."
- 4 Pertaining to an action performed customarily, ordinarily, or usually.
"In English, for instance, the Habitual Aspect (used to construction) can combine freely with Progressive Aspect, to give such forms as used to be playing."
Adjective
- 1 commonly used or practiced; usual wordnet
Example
"Grandfather sat in his habitual place near the fire."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "habitual"?
Common synonyms include: customary, accepted, accustomed, accustomed, acidhead, addict.
How do you use "habitual" in a sentence?
Grandfather sat in his habitual place near the fire.
How do you pronounce "habitual"?
Pronounced /həˈbɪ.tʃʊ.əl/.
Etymology
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English habitual (“of one's inherent disposition”), from Medieval Latin habituālis (“customary; habitual”), from Latin habitus (“character; disposition; habit; physical or emotional condition; attire, dress”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); analysable as habit + -ual. Habitus is derived from habeō (“to have; to hold; to own; to possess”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeh₁bʰ- (“to grab, take”)) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). The noun is derived from the adjective.