second nature
Preserved but no longer current.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “second nature” mean?
Said of a habit, way of looking at things, and so on, that has become so ingrained in one that it is next to impossible to shake it off.
Is “second nature” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.