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Recent Examples of habit-forming
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
Aggregators will keep winning on habit-forming UX and algorithmic discovery.
—Lin Cherry, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
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
Scientists theorize this happens because happy memories trigger the release of habit-forming chemicals like dopamine.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 12 Dec. 2025
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
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
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
Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 4 Apr. 2026
Aggregators will keep winning on habit-forming UX and algorithmic discovery.
—Lin Cherry, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
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
Scientists theorize this happens because happy memories trigger the release of habit-forming chemicals like dopamine.
—Sherri Gordon, Health, 12 Dec. 2025
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for habit-forming
Adjective
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For example, Vermont legislators have introduced legislation requiring that tech products used in school be registered and certified with the Secretary of State to prove limited data collection and the absence of addictive algorithms.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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The credit rating agency Moody's counts more than 4,000 pending cases targeting 166 companies alleging addictive software design.—
Shannon Bond,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Another mother at the vigil whose 13-year-old daughter took her own life after suffering from cyber abuse said the social media platforms are intentionally addicting for children.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Adding creamed corn to these drop biscuits turns them into an addicting mash-up of a moist cornbread and a buttery biscuit.—
Hailee Catalano,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Habit-forming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/habit-forming. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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