SECOND NATURE Definition & Meaning

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second nature

noun

an acquired habit or tendency in one's character that is so deeply ingrained as to appear automatic:
Neatness is second nature to him.

second nature

noun

a habit, characteristic, etc, not innate but so long practised or acquired as to seem so

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of second nature¹

First recorded in 1655–65

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Idioms and Phrases

A habit or mode of behavior so long practiced that it seems innate, as in Driving in heavy traffic is second nature to Chris . This expression is a shortened form of an ancient proverb, Custom (or usage ) is a second nature , first recorded in 1390. It alludes to the fact that very frequently repeating something makes it seem completely natural or inborn.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“It’s second nature and God was with me,” she said.

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“It happens every day on a film set, so that kind of thinking is second nature.”

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"The beginning was definitely not easy with this entire process, but after developing over 800 film rolls these processes come like second nature to us," recalls Fabriccio.

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“He wanted the rules to be just second nature to him,” Harbert said.

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It’s allowing a chemistry to develop where those lines are just second nature.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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