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custom

custom

148 1.3
A usual way of behaving in a society, often passed down from the past
  • noun
  • /ˈkʌstəm/
translation icon : costumbre
  • In Japan, bowing is a traditional custom that shows respect when greeting someone.
  • customs and traditions
  • customs and laws
  • culture and customs

And he says, well, it's custom, it's habit.

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Examples

  • Although bringing flowers to the sick is an old custom, it remains popular.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The Court often supports its reasoning by reference to historical customs and widely shared social expectations.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Well, it's a custom in France.

  • However, it has long been our custom to carry out the last order of a retiring Senior Judge.

  • I do not understand your customs.

  • But of course you know the local customs.

  • And now, according to the quaint local custom, it's your turn to tell us what your name is.

  • How does a traditional society respond when its customs are turned upside down?

    Academic text (2008)
  • Custom dictates that you render the bad news first.

  • You are a guest in an unfamiliar home with unfamiliar customs.

Synonyms

tradition
vscustom
2.0

A custom or belief passed down in families and groups over time

is any widely accepted practice, not only those passed down long ago
norm
vscustom
187 3.7

A usual way people in a group behave

leans more on tradition and long acceptance than on mere typicality
usage
vscustom
135 1.8

The usual way people use something in everyday life

emphasizes traditional social behaviour rather than technical or instrumental use
ritual
vscustom
118 4.4

A regular pattern of actions done as a habit or custom

is broader, including single acts and habits beyond formal patterned sequences
convention
vscustom
106 3.9

A usual way of behaving that most people in a group follow

is broader, covering any traditional accepted practice rather than formal rules
folkway
vscustom
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A traditional custom that guides how people act but is not strictly followed

covers that same everyday guidance but without stressing enforcement level
trad
vscustom
  • UK
1 7.5

A custom from the past that people keep doing

is the neutral, standard term used in formal descriptions
usance
vscustom
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A usual way of doing things in a group or community

focuses more generally on widely accepted behavior than on habitual origin
mores
vscustom
8.7

Usual moral customs and rules in a community

is similar but without necessarily involving moral judgment
habitude
vscustom
9.9

A regular way that a person behaves often without thinking

is more about tradition and social acceptance than mere habit

Antonyms

310 3.9

Bringing in new ideas or ways of doing things

Doing things in a new or unusual way

Compounds

9 3.9

An item made for one person to fit their needs

7 4.1

Made to fit a particular person or a special use

Drinking glasses for beer made to order with a name or logo

A sticker for a car with your own message or design

How Common

habit
630 1.0
practice
613 1.4
custom
148 1.3
tradition
2.0
institution
482 3.9

Surface Forms

custom singular
customs plural

Etymology

Custom comes from the old Latin word consuetudo, which means 'habit' or 'being used to something'. So a custom is a usual way of doing things that people are 'used' to in a place or time.