Wont

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Grammarist

The word wont, not to be confused with want or the contraction won’t, has several meanings, but it is most often an adjective, usually followed by to, meaning accustomed, given, or likely—for example:

“Stats are for losers,” as head coach John Fox is wont to say. [Panthers.com]

It made me introspective, as talks with Kris are wont to do. [Chiron Training]

Wont is also a noun, its definition being habit or accustomed behavior—for example:

Kerry, as is his wont, offered a turbid synonym. [Emory Wheel]

And the participial wonted has another adjectival sense—usual or habitual:

Sofiane Sylve lent the sugar plum fairy the wonted regality and line without completely dispensing a generosity of spirit. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Dictionaries list a verb sense of wont—to make accustomed to—but the word is very rarely used in this sense in modern English.

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