conditioning
Americannoun
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Also called operant conditioning, instrumental conditioning. a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress.
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Also called classical conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning, respondent conditioning. a process in which a stimulus that was previously neutral, as the sound of a bell, comes to evoke a particular response, as salivation, by being repeatedly paired with another stimulus that normally evokes the response, as the taste of food.
Other Word Forms
- self-conditioning adjective
Etymology
Origin of conditioning
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When explaining the benchings, Cronin frequently talked about Mara’s matchup problems, conditioning problems, and illness problems.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
Bangladesh has banned the use of air conditioning to cool buildings under 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Three he wants to avoid are Deere, UPS, and air conditioning distributor Watsco.
From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026
People in Thailand have also been asked to keep air conditioning at 26-27C, and all government agencies have been told to work from home.
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
“I would rather you do three hours of conditioning than for you to do poor technique on your gymnastics,” she’d say.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.