Habit vs. Custom — What's the Difference?

A regular practice or routine that is repeated regularly and often unconsciously.

A traditional way of behaving or a practice that is specific to a society, place, or time.

Habits can be developed unintentionally and can be hard to break.

Customs often have cultural or religious significance.

Positive habits are cultivated for improving health or efficiency.

Customs can be specific to regions, countries, or even smaller communities.

Habits are generally personal and vary widely between individuals.

Changing a custom can reflect or require societal change.

Habits can be influenced by context and triggers in the environment.

They enhance social cohesion and foster a sense of community.

A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.The American Journal of Psychology (1903) defined a "habit, from the standpoint of psychology, [as] a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience." Habitual behavior often goes unnoticed in persons exhibiting it, because a person does not need to engage in self-analysis when undertaking routine tasks. Habits are sometimes compulsory.

A traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time

A settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up

Regular dealings with a shop or business by customers

A long, loose garment worn by a member of a religious order

Made or done to order; custom-made

A person's health or constitution

A traditional practice or usual way of doing something followed by a social group or people.

Be dressed or clothed

The tradition or body of such practices

A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition

A habitual practice of a person

An established disposition of the mind or character

Habitual manner or practice

Customary manner or practice

(Law) A common tradition or usage so long established that it has the force or validity of law.

An addiction, especially to a narcotic drug.

Habitual patronage, as of a store

Characteristic appearance, form, or manner of growth, especially of a plant or crystal

Duties or taxes imposed on imported and, less commonly, exported goods.

A distinctive set of clothing or style of dressing, especially of a religious order.

(used with a sing. verb) The governmental agency authorized to collect these duties.

A riding habit.

(used with a sing. verb) The place where goods and baggage entering a country are inspected by this agency

(Archaic) Physical constitution.

Tribute, service, or rent paid by a feudal tenant to a lord.

To clothe; dress.

Made to order

To clothe in a habit, especially a nun's habit.

Specializing in the making or selling of made-to-order goods

An action performed on a regular basis.

Frequent repetition of the same behavior; way of behavior common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; method of doing, living or behaving.

An action performed repeatedly and automatically, usually without awareness.

Habitual buying of goods from one same vendor.

A long piece of clothing worn by monks and nuns.

(collectively) The habitual patrons (i.e. customers) of a business; business support.

A piece of clothing worn for a specific activity; a uniform.

(legal) Long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent. Compare prescription.

(archaic) Outward appearance; attire; dress.

Traditional beliefs or rituals.

Form of growth or general appearance and structure of a variety or species of plant or crystal.

A custom (made-to-order) piece of art, pornography, etc.

An addiction.

(obsolete) Familiar acquaintance; familiarity.

(transitive) To clothe.

Toll, tax, or tribute.

To inhabit.

Created under particular specifications, specially to fit one's needs: specialized, unique, custom-made.

The usual condition or state of a person or thing, either natural or acquired, regarded as something had, possessed, and firmly retained; as, a religious habit; his habit is morose; elms have a spreading habit; esp., physical temperament or constitution; as, a full habit of body.

Own, personal, not standard or premade.

The general appearance and manner of life of a living organism.

(archaic) Accustomed; usual.

Fixed or established custom; ordinary course of conduct; practice; usage; hence, prominently, the involuntary tendency or aptitude to perform certain actions which is acquired by their frequent repetition; as, habit is second nature; also, peculiar ways of acting; characteristic forms of behavior.

To make familiar; to accustom.

Outward appearance; attire; dress; hence, a garment; esp., a closely fitting garment or dress worn by ladies; as, a riding habit.

To supply with customers.

The distinctive clothing worn commonly by nuns or monks; as, in the late 1900's many orders of nuns discarded their habits and began to dress as ordinary lay women.

To pay the customs of.

To inhabit.

To have a custom.

To dress; to clothe; to array.

Frequent repetition of the same act; way of acting common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; usage; method of doing or living.

To accustom; to habituate.

Habitual buying of goods; practice of frequenting, as a shop, manufactory, etc., for making purchases or giving orders; business support.

An established custom;

Long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent; usage. See Usage, and Prescription.

A pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition;

Familiar aquaintance; familiarity.

(religion) a distinctive attire (as the costume of a religious order)

The customary toll, tax, or tribute.

Excessive use of drugs

Duties or tolls imposed by law on commodities, imported or exported.

Put a habit on

To make familiar; to accustom.

To supply with customers.

To have a custom.

To pay the customs of.

Accepted or habitual practice

A specific practice of long standing

Money collected under a tariff

Habitual patronage;

Made according to the specifications of an individual

A custom is a traditional practice or behavior that is characteristic of a particular community or group.

Customs preserve cultural heritage and promote social cohesion and identity within a community.

A habit is a routine behavior that an individual performs regularly and often unconsciously.

While habits primarily affect individuals, collectively, habits can influence community health or behaviors.

A widespread habit can evolve into a custom if adopted by a large group and transmitted across generations.

Customs are preserved through education, family traditions, community practices, and cultural rituals.

Habits are individual and often unconscious behaviors, whereas customs are shared, traditional practices with cultural or social significance.

No, there are many positive habits that people intentionally develop to improve their health, efficiency, or well-being.

Maintaining customs is important for preserving historical and cultural continuity in a society.

Changing a bad habit typically involves awareness, intentional effort, and sometimes environmental changes.

Customs are crucial for defining cultural identity, as they embody the practices, values, and norms of a culture.

Habits are influenced by repeated behavior, individual choices, and sometimes the immediate environment.

An example includes the decline of arranged marriages in many cultures as values around individual choice and love have evolved.

Customs evolve through changes in societal values, technological advancements, and external influences from other cultures.

Customs can greatly enhance tourism by offering unique cultural experiences that are attractive to visitors.