habitation
noun
hab·i·ta·tion ˌha-bə-ˈtā-shən 
1
: the act of inhabiting : occupancy
not fit for human habitation
2
: a dwelling place
3
: settlement, colony
Synonyms
- occupancy
- occupation
- possession
- residency
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The house was not fit for human habitation. a wilderness area with few habitations
Recent Examples on the Web But more help is needed to address the short-term problems of homelessness, including nearly 1,000 people on the shelter waitlist and at least 280 Rhode Islanders living in places not fit for human habitation, with probably hundreds more uncounted. 
Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2022 The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness estimated this week that 350 people are living in Anchorage without shelter, up from 200 a few weeks ago — camping, living in vehicles or sleeping in places not suited for human habitation. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 9 July 2022 Changing the soil environment could easily work and make the area less suitable for habitation. oregonlive, 21 Aug. 2022 More than 12,000 customers remained without power, many because their homes and businesses have been destroyed or aren't fit for habitation. CBS News, 1 Aug. 2022 Before large-scale human habitation, many of the forests here had naturally occurring wildfires every five to 10 years, but today, most of the nearby land hasn’t seen any in more than 100 years, increasing the risk of severe fire. Adiel Kaplan, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2022 And human habitation is expanding from city centers into these increasingly dry wild zones. Wired, 21 July 2022 Crouched beside the hole, Juan Luis Gonzalez-Castillo described his brief habitation in the storm drain. Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022 With the combination of overcrowding from unintended habitation and the federal government not providing adequate services at the sites, people at many of the sites now live in distressed, unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Chris Aadland, oregonlive, 11 May 2022 See More
Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2022 The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness estimated this week that 350 people are living in Anchorage without shelter, up from 200 a few weeks ago — camping, living in vehicles or sleeping in places not suited for human habitation. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 9 July 2022 Changing the soil environment could easily work and make the area less suitable for habitation. oregonlive, 21 Aug. 2022 More than 12,000 customers remained without power, many because their homes and businesses have been destroyed or aren't fit for habitation. CBS News, 1 Aug. 2022 Before large-scale human habitation, many of the forests here had naturally occurring wildfires every five to 10 years, but today, most of the nearby land hasn’t seen any in more than 100 years, increasing the risk of severe fire. Adiel Kaplan, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2022 And human habitation is expanding from city centers into these increasingly dry wild zones. Wired, 21 July 2022 Crouched beside the hole, Juan Luis Gonzalez-Castillo described his brief habitation in the storm drain. Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022 With the combination of overcrowding from unintended habitation and the federal government not providing adequate services at the sites, people at many of the sites now live in distressed, unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Chris Aadland, oregonlive, 11 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English habitacioun, from Anglo-French habitaciun, from Latin habitation-, habitatio, from habitare to inhabit, frequentative of habēre
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
habitation
noun
hab·i·ta·tion ˌha-bə-ˈtā-shən
1
: the act of living in a place
The house is fit for habitation.
2
: a place to live
Legal Definition
habitation
noun
hab·i·ta·tion ˌha-bə-ˈtā-shən
1
a
: the act of occupying or inhabiting
b
in the civil law of Louisiana : the right of a person to dwell in the house of another
2
: a dwelling place
habitation
noun
1
as in occupancy
the act or fact of residing in a place the city declared the area unsafe for habitation until it had been decontaminated Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- occupancy
- occupation
- residency
- possession
- tenancy
- ownership
- tenantry
- trespass
- proprietorship
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- vacancy
- ejectment
- dispossession
- ejection
- vacation
- vacating
2
as in abode
the place where one lives even though they spend most of their time at their condo in Florida, they still consider their farmhouse in Nebraska their permanent habitation Synonyms & Similar Words
- abode
- residence
- dwelling
- house
- lodging
- home
- roof
- housing
- place
- domicile
- residency
- shelter
- quarters
- hearth
- cabin
- apartment
- mansion
- cottage
- diggings
- fireside
- nest
- hearthstone
- bungalow
- accommodations
- pad
- dormitory
- estate
- farmhouse
- castle
- homestead
- manor
- hut
- ranch
- villa
- tenement
- condominium
- palace
- barracks
- hacienda
- shack
- flat
- suite
- condo
- chalet
- casita
- town house
- duplex
- dorm
- lodgment
- room(s)
- rectory
- ranch house
- tenement house
- hermitage
- hall
- penthouse
- semi
- shanty
- recreational vehicle
- château
- saltbox
- trailer
- manor house
- flophouse
- boardinghouse
- apartment house
- triplex
- billet
- manse
- hovel
- grange
- split level
- tract house
- lodging house
- vicarage
- salon
- parsonage
- lodgement
- rooming house
- motor home
- townhome
- mobile home
- houseboat
- house trailer
- countryseat
- walk-up
- hooch
- RV
- hootch
- McMansion
- hutch
- double-wide
