# conditioning

/kənˈdɪʃənɪŋ/ (US) · /kəndˈɪʃənɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/conditioning
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. behavioural training

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

the process of training a person or animal to react in a certain way to a situation.

For teachers: the psychological process of modifying behaviour through repeated stimuli or reinforcement. Often used in the context of social or psychological development.

- Years of social conditioning make us feel we must always be polite to strangers.
- The experiment demonstrated how classical conditioning could influence an animal's physiological response to a neutral stimulus over a short period.

Usage: Often used with 'social' or 'cultural' to describe how society shapes our habits.

### 2. physical fitness

noun · CEFR B2

the process of getting your body into a very healthy and strong state through exercise.

For teachers: the process of improving physical health, strength, and endurance through a systematic exercise regime.

- The team spent the whole summer on physical conditioning before the season started.
- The athlete's superior conditioning allowed her to maintain a high level of performance even in the final minutes of the match.

Usage: Commonly used in professional sports and fitness contexts.

### 3. material preparation

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the process of keeping a material at a specific temperature or humidity before testing it.

For teachers: the storage of a material specimen under specified environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, for a set duration prior to testing.

- The wood samples required two days of conditioning in a humid room before the experiment.
- Standard conditioning of the polymer samples is essential to ensure that the tensile strength measurements are reproducible across different laboratories.

## Examples

- Athletes spend months on physical conditioning before the season starts.
- The experiment used classical conditioning to teach the dogs to associate a bell with food.
- Social conditioning often dictates how we perceive success, leading many to pursue traditional career paths without questioning their underlying motivations or personal desires.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.