habituated

Habituated is an adjective describing someone or something that has become accustomed to a stimulus through repeated exposure, resulting in a diminished or extinguished response.

The term derives from Latin habituatus, from habitus. In academic writing it is used with to (habituated to danger) and often contrasts with acclimated or accustomed, though habituated emphasizes a process of adaptation through repetition.

In psychology, habituation is a basic form of learning in which an organism decreases or ceases its responses to a repeated, non-harmful stimulus. The effect is stimulus-specific and can be reversed by changes in context or after a rest (spontaneous recovery). Habituation is distinct from tolerance (reduced effect of a drug) and from sensitization (increased response).

Examples include people who live near busy streets becoming habituated to traffic noise; animals in experiments ignoring repeated neutral stimuli; professionals or long-time workers becoming habituated to routine danger cues, while still remaining alert to meaningful changes.

Significance and limits: Habituation helps filter out irrelevant information, conserve energy, and sharpen attention to novel or salient stimuli. It is generally a simple, passive form of learning, but excessive habituation can dull responsiveness to important warnings and may require re-sensitization in certain contexts.

Related terms include habituation, acclimatization, adaptation, and desensitization.