propensity

American  

[pruh-pen-si-tee] / prəˈpɛn sɪ ti /

noun

• propensities
  plural

1. a natural inclination or tendency.

   a propensity to drink too much.

   Synonyms:

   proclivity, penchant, disposition, leaning, bent

2. Obsolete. favorable disposition or partiality.

---

propensity British  

/ prəˈpɛnsɪtɪ /

noun

1. a natural tendency or disposition

2. obsolete partiality

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• propensities
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of propensity

First recorded in 1560–70; propense + -ity

---

Compare meaning

How does propensity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• proclivity vs. propensity

---

Explanation

A propensity is a natural tendency to behave in a certain way. We all have propensities — things we tend to do. Dogs have a propensity to bark, and many people have a propensity for getting annoyed by it. If you have a propensity for something, then it's something that comes naturally to you or something you just do a lot. Some people have a propensity to laugh. Other people have a propensity for making others laugh, or for being generous, or for getting angry. It's hard to change your propensities. Sometimes a propensity is a bad thing, as in a criminal with a propensity for theft or murder.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

propensity propensities

There’s also a propensity in our culture to believe in some superhuman aspect of genius, which I think your documentary gets at very well.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

This propensity for attention-grabbing was certainly in full effect at Bill Pay’s official premiere.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

While Americans would not spend all of the $5,000, a reasonable assumption is that they would spend more than 60%, or what economists call the marginal propensity to consume.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Mr. Vance’s propensity to caricature arguments with which he disagrees puts me in mind of Barack Obama.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Northeastern Indians were appalled by the European propensity to divide themselves into social classes, with those on the lower rungs of the hierarchy compelled to defer to those on the upper.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The upshot is that equity wealth is increasingly available to fund spending among households with higher marginal propensities to consume.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

I’m still the same person with the same propensities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

The authors say that the study cannot disentangle the mechanisms driving the difference in the propensities to attend to social information.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2024

“He didn’t seem like a violent guy whatsoever. There were no dangerous propensities that would stick out. That’s why I was pretty shocked to see it was him doing that. Definitely completely out of character.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023

In our tenure on this planet we have accumulated dangerous evolutionary baggage, hereditary propensities for aggression and ritual, submission to leaders and hostility to outsiders, which place our survival in some question.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• bias
• disposition
• leaning
• penchant
• predilection
• predisposition
• proclivity
• susceptibility
• tendency

---