How to Use habit-forming in a Sentence

habit-forming

adjective
  • But not all ultraprocessed foods are habit-forming.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
  • Limiting use is also important because some over-the-counter cold medicines and nasal sprays have been shown to be habit-forming.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025
  • The label also now no longer includes sugar as an example of habit-forming substances.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
  • This week, social media users are sounding the alarm about the product, which some describe as habit-forming and detrimental to their health.
    — Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 14 Aug. 2025
  • And there’s evidence that starting to donate to charity early in one’s career can be habit-forming.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 29 Dec. 2025
  • The label also warns that the product can become habit-forming and recommends that people who have a history of substance abuse consider not consuming the product.
    — Claretta Bellamy, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Scientists theorize this happens because happy memories trigger the release of habit-forming chemicals like dopamine.
    — Sherri Gordon, Health, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Aggregators will keep winning on habit-forming UX and algorithmic discovery.
    — Lin Cherry, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
  • But that warning also implied Feel Free was no more habit-forming than caffeine, alcohol or sugar — a statement Adeoye, the woman from Texas, banked on.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
  • The company did not admit any wrongdoing but did change its label to include information that the product could be habit-forming and people who have a history of substance abuse should consider not consuming it.
    — Claretta Bellamy, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2025
  • Plaintiffs claimed that Feel Free was marketed as a drink that could induce calmness and relaxation, and was no more habit-forming than caffeine—but that using the product had led many customers to become addicted to it.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Dec. 2025
  • The argument is that these products were built with dangerously habit-forming features—including the endless-scroll feed, algorithmic recommendations, and push notifications—that have led to an array of serious health problems.
    — Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
  • As a purist, Murray defines sobriety as being completely abstinent from habit-forming substances that could cause dependency, including prescription drugs like Xanax and Suboxone.
    — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 23 Sep. 2025
  • According to the announcement, spotted by The Verge, the chatbot will only prescribe medications that are considered lower risk, for example SSRIs like sertraline (Zoloft) for depression rather than habit-forming drugs like benzodiazepines or some ADHD drugs like Adderall.
    — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 4 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'habit-forming.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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