predisposed

American  

[pree-di-spohzd] / ˌpri dɪˈspoʊzd /

adjective

1. having or showing an inclination or tendency toward a specified condition, opinion, behavior, etc., beforehand.

   Many studies show how genes interact with the environment to cause disease in predisposed individuals.

   The novel is skillfully written, but in a style that requires close reading and a predisposed reader.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of predispose.

Other Word Forms

• predisposedly
  adverb
• predisposedness
  noun
• unpredisposed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of predisposed

predispose ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

If you’re predisposed to something, you’re heading in that direction already — you already have a tendency to develop it. Your medical history or your habits could make you predisposed to a condition, like high blood pressure, or chocolate addiction. Predisposed often describes medical conditions, but it can refer to any tendency. You might be predisposed to a pessimistic outlook. You’re probably predisposed to like someone one of your friends likes. Or you could be predisposed to act in a certain way. If you’re really proud of your dad’s work as a lawyer, you might be predisposed to become a lawyer yourself.

Example Sentences

I have no predisposed notion on what goes into the inspection report.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

"Exosomes are used to communicate with and activate surrounding cells, and we have now identified a defect in both the production and the quality of exosomes in cells that we know are predisposed to Alzheimer's."

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2025

"Clearly, the authors of these papers are predisposed in favour of Nova since they created it," she said, adding that more research is needed to identify the exact mechanisms that UPFs could be causing harm.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

Wojcicki said inquiries poured into 23andMe in 2015 after actor Angelina Jolie disclosed that she’d undergone a precautionary double mastectomy upon learning she carried a gene that predisposed her to breast cancer.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2025

With the secret and implacable labor of a small ant she predisposed the women of the village against the flightiness of their husbands, who were already preparing for the move.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez