English Explanatory Dictionary

habitual

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of or relating to a habit; established as a habit; performed over and over again; recurrent, recurring.
  2. Regular or usual.
  3. Of a person or thing: engaging in some behaviour as a habit or regularly.
  4. Pertaining to an action performed customarily, ordinarily, or usually.
noun
  1. One who does something habitually, such as a serial criminal offender.
  2. A construction representing something done habitually.

Pronunciation

/həˈbɪ.tʃʊ.əl/ /həˈbɪ.tʃwəl/ /-tjʊ-/ /həˈbɪ.t͡ʃ(w)əl/ En-us-habitual.ogg /hab.ɪtʃ.(ʊ)wɐl/

Word forms

habitual more habitual most habitual habituall habituals

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.

Synonyms

perennial repeating repetitious habitual monotonous recurrent recurring repetitional repetitionary repetitive accustomed customary general average basic bog-standard common common as bums common as dirt common as muck common as pig tracks dime a dozen everyday frequent nonrare par for the course pedestrian plain quotidian regular routinary routine ten a penny two a penny usual workaday consuetudinal

Related words

habit habit-forming habituate habituating habituation habituative habitude habitus

Derived words

habitual aborter habitual abortion habitual aspect habitual be habituality habitualize habitualise habitually habitualness habitual offender nonhabitual unhabitual
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