All 6 Uses of
accustomed
in
A Prayer for Owen Meany
- Noah said with unaccustomed reverence.†
p. 74.9unaccustomed = not used tostandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unaccustomed means not and reverses the meaning of accustomed. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- Owen was quite accustomed to people feeling compelled to touch him, but in Hester's case he retreated a trifle anxiously from her touch—though not so much that she was offended.†
p. 76.3accustomed to = used to (adapted to something, so it seems normal)
- He was not accustomed to the semidarkness of my mother's room when she was sleeping, when the dummy stood over her—that unmistakable body, in profile, in perfect silhouette.†
p. 103.5
- "We don't know that," he repeated; but I had grown accustomed to their savage fights—they no longer frightened me.†
p. 299.6 *
- A woman of her sophistication—and used to the standard of living she'd grown accustomed to, as Herb Lish's wife and the mother of his only child—simply needed the sun and the salt air.†
p. 379.5
- Meany told Dan—she was accustomed to wrapping around herself, like a shawl.†
p. 584.3
Definition:
to make someone used to something
(used to is an expression that means someone has adapted to something, so it does not seem unusual)
(used to is an expression that means someone has adapted to something, so it does not seem unusual)
In professional environments, you may make a better impression by saying one is accustomed to something rather than one is used to something.