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Glite Dictionary
to attune to

to attune to

6 6.5
Become used to a new situation so you feel comfortable with it
  • phrasal verb
  • /əˈtun tu/
translation icon : adaptarse a
  • Teachers should attune to their students' needs to create an effective learning environment.
  • more attuned to
  • attuned to the needs
  • finely attuned to

It's the brain attunes to your environment.

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Examples

  • The law schools have not succeeded in turning out lawyers attuned to serious arguments rooted in law and economics.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Good organisations have leadership that is attuned to their people.

  • So this is something that we're also becoming much more attuned to in our patients.

  • You know, people are not often attuned to the country and the state civil rights history.

  • So now for me, it's more about learning and being really attuned to what's happening.

  • The vast majority of the public are not attuned to the history of architecture, its terms, and traditions.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The Chinese population is becoming more skilled, sophisticated, and more attuned to the world community, especially in urban areas.

    Academic text (1997)

  • But conscious parenting is about being attuned to who your child is at the stage they're in.

  • Gehry's building is carefully attuned to the site but according to an aesthetic of incongruity.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Medical social workers and community specialists must be especially attuned to work-related injuries and high-risk behaviors in a younger community.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

to adjust
vsto attune to
321 3.0

To get used to new conditions like a new place or routine

aims for harmony and close alignment instead of just changing
to adapt
vsto attune to
150 3.0

To change your behaviour or ideas to deal with new situations

aims for harmony and alignment rather than mere coping
to accustom
vsto attune to
139 3.6

To make someone used to something so it feels normal

aims for active harmony and alignment rather than mere familiarity
to adapt to
vsto attune to
99 2.9

Slowly get used to a new place or situation

aims to create harmony or close alignment with the situation
to acclimate
vsto attune to
25 5.2

To get used to a new climate, place, or situation

focuses on reaching harmony and alignment with the surroundings
to recalibrate
vsto attune to
7 6.5

Change a plan or attitude to fit new information

seeks harmony with situations rather than only updating plans or views
to acclimatize
vsto attune to
  • US
4 6.1

To get used to a new climate or place

aims to form harmony or alignment beyond simple physical adjustment

Antonyms

to resist
61 3.0

Hold up against stains, heat or storms

to detach
16 4.0

To come apart from something it is connected to

How Aligned

to synchronize
  • US
49 4.7
to harmonize
  • US
1 4.2
to attune to
6 6.5
to adjust
321 3.0
to get used to
514 2.4

Surface Forms

attune to infinitive
attuned to past
attuned to past participle
attuning to present participle
attunes to third person singular

Morphology

attune + to

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'attune' (to adjust or harmonize) with the preposition 'to' indicating the target of adjustment; this verb + preposition pattern is compositional and follows normal English argument structure. Cross-linguistically similar patterns (e.g., Spanish 'ajustarse a', French 's'accorder à') make the relation obvious, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Attune to comes from music, where players tune their instruments so the notes match. So, to 'attune to' something means to 'adapt' or change yourself until you are 'in harmony' with it.