penchant

[pen-chuhnt, pahn-shahn]

noun

1. a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something.

   a penchant for outdoor sports.

penchant

/ ˈpɒŋʃɒŋ /

noun

1. a strong inclination or liking; bent or taste

Word History and Origins

Origin of penchant¹

1665–75; < French, noun use of present participle of pencher to incline, lean < Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, derivative of Latin pendēre to hang

Word History and Origins

Origin of penchant¹

C17: from French, from pencher to incline, from Latin pendēre to be suspended

Idioms and Phrases

see have a penchant for.

Example Sentences

Things will undoubtedly look a lot gloomier in markets if tech’s penchant for overspending becomes a definitive miscalculation.

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Others noted flaws in his play, including a penchant for holding on to the ball too long and taking too many sacks.

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The “ghosted” trend feeds on all those dynamics—along with TikTokers’ penchant for riffing on other users’ content.

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So to meet Parker’s criteria, companies with a penchant for increasing payouts need to pay less than 40% of net income as dividends and have market-like expected earnings growth.

Read more on Barron's

She has to go to some dark places, channeling Claire’s depression, addiction to painkillers and more — but despite her penchant for playing more carefree women, Hudson says she wasn’t intimidated by the role’s meatier aspects.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• affection 
• affinity 
• predilection 
• proclivity 
• propensity 
• taste 
• tendency 
• weakness