propensity
[pruh-pen-si-tee]
- a natural inclination or tendency: a propensity to drink too much.
- Obsolete. favorable disposition or partiality.
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Origin of propensity
Synonyms
See more synonyms for propensity on Thesaurus.com1. bent, leaning, disposition, penchant, proclivity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for propensity
Contemporary Examples
He also has a propensity to use clanking words when he could have used simpler ones.
The critters have the propensity to devour their babies if alarmed and so require a calm environment for breeding.
Total mass becomes significant because of the propensity of a thermal runaway to spread rapidly.
Our none-too-shabby showing in the medal count this year is due primarily to our propensity to come in third.
Some privacy advocates think that our propensity for being unnerved by drones will end up being a boon to privacy.
Historical Examples
I had often heard of Mr. Fitzgerald's propensity to duelling.
Beaux and Belles of EnglandMary Robinson
He was still a little suspicious of his chum's propensity to tease.
Cap'n EriJoseph Crosby Lincoln
This propensity he inherited not only from his mother, but also from his father, who had been a frontiersman.
Sielanka: An IdyllHenryk Sienkiewicz
He, had a propensity to talk about "his Pedro," as some men will talk of their dog.
VictoryJoseph Conrad
Are you never able to restrain your propensity for making sport?
Frank Merriwell's BraveryBurt L. Standish
propensity
- a natural tendency or disposition
- obsolete partiality
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin prōpensus inclined to, from prōpendēre to propend
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for propensity
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper