inure

verb

in·​ure i-ˈnu̇r 

-ˈnyu̇r

variants or less commonly enure

i-ˈnu̇r 

-ˈnyu̇r,

e-

inured; inuring

transitive verb

: to accustom to accept something undesirable

children inured to violence

intransitive verb

: to become of advantage

policies that inure to the benefit of employees

inurement

i-ˈnu̇r-mənt 

-ˈnyu̇r

noun

Synonyms

• fortify
• harden
• indurate
• season
• steel
• strengthen
• toughen

Examples of inure in a Sentence

Does violence on television inure children to violence in real life?

the hardship of army training inured her to the rigors of desert warfare

Recent Examples on the Web

The fact that North Korea has had nuclear weapons for so long (its first nuclear test was in 2006) has inured analysts and policymakers to the gravity of the threat. —Sue Mi Terry, Foreign Affairs, 25 Oct. 2022

To live and work in New York in the 1850s was to be inured to a culture of innovation and novelty—of exciting new ways of thinking about the project of what literature and art could look like and who could compose it. —Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2024

Biases may be pronounced in scientific communities inured to defending against science denialism and historical persecution. —Andréa Morris, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

If a warning system sends out too many alerts, that could inure people to hearing them and result in complacency when a major earthquake does occur. —Umair Irfan, Vox, 12 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enuren, from in ure customary, from putten in ure to use, put into practice, partial translation of Anglo-French mettre en ovre, en uevre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

inure

verb

in·​ure in-ˈ(y)u̇(ə)r 

inured; inuring

1

: to make less sensitive : harden

inured to cold

2

: accrue sense 1

Legal Definition

inure

intransitive verb

in·​ure i-ˈnu̇r, -ˈnyu̇r 

inured; inuring

: to become of advantage

—usually used in the phrase inure to the benefit of