Inured To: Standard Pattern
Inured To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “become/be inured to” when someone has become accustomed to something unpleasant and can tolerate it.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| accustomed to something unpleasant through repeated exposure | be/become inured to + noun/-ing | Use “inured to.” |
| ordinary neutral familiarity without the unpleasant-tolerance sense | accustomed/familiar with | Choose a neutral alternative if the negative tolerance meaning is absent. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does the sentence mean that someone has become accustomed to something unpleasant and can tolerate it?
If yes: Use “be/become inured to.”
If no: Choose “accustomed to” or another neutral phrase if no unpleasantness or hardening is intended.
Caveat: “Inured” carries a stronger sense of becoming hardened or accustomed to something adverse.
Examples
After years on the route, the drivers became inured to the noise.
The noise is unpleasant but has become tolerable.
She seemed inured to long delays.
“To” introduces the unpleasant condition she had learned to tolerate.
I am familiar with the new filing system.
Neutral familiarity does not require “inured.”
Further guidance
Construction
Use “become/be inured to” when someone has become accustomed to something unpleasant and can tolerate it.
Style Boundary
The construction normally concerns repeated exposure to something difficult or unpleasant; it is not a generic synonym for every kind of familiarity.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- INURE SOMEONE TO SOMETHING - Cambridge English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Cambridge dictionary evidence for inured to as a documented construction.