propensity

[ pruh-pen-si-tee ]

/ prəˈpɛn sɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR propensity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural pro·pen·si·ties.

a natural inclination or tendency: a propensity to drink too much.

Obsolete. favorable disposition or partiality.

Nearby words

Origin of propensity

First recorded in 1560–70; propense + -ity

SYNONYMS FOR propensity

1. bent, leaning, disposition, penchant, proclivity.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR propensity ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for propensity

He also has a propensity to use clanking words when he could have used simpler ones.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The critters have the propensity to devour their babies if alarmed and so require a calm environment for breeding.
Whole Foods Wants to Feed You Cute, Furry Bunnies|Tim Mak|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Total mass becomes significant because of the propensity of a thermal runaway to spread rapidly.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo|Clive Irving|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our none-too-shabby showing in the medal count this year is due primarily to our propensity to come in third.
What’s a Key to Victory in Sochi? Coming So Close to Defeat.|Kevin Bleyer|February 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Some privacy advocates think that our propensity for being unnerved by drones will end up being a boon to privacy.
Why Drones Make Us Nervous|Josh Dzieza|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
No one can doubt that man has as strong a propensity to unite with woman, as bulls and stags have with the females of their kind.
Ancient Faiths And Modern|Thomas Inman
She feared the magnetic power of The Red Lion, coupled with my propensity for rotating.
The Lure of Old London|Sophie Cole
And again: "Whenever he indulges this propensity he uniformly lays down good law."
What Is Man? And Other Stories|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
He had attributed this propensity to a simple womanly talent for motherliness.
Aurora the Magnificent|Gertrude Hall
Of this propensity to sordid converse I have seen an account so seriously ridiculous, that it seems to deserve insertion.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes|Samuel Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for propensity

propensity

/ (prəˈpɛnsɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

a natural tendency or disposition

obsolete partiality

Word Origin for propensity

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for propensity

propensity

1560s, "disposition to favor," with -ty + obsolete adjective propense "inclined, prone" (1520s), from Latin propensus, past participle of propendere "incline to, hang forward, hang down, weigh over," from pro- "forward" (see pro-) + pendere "hang" (see pendant).

propensity

noun, plural pro·pen·si·ties.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of propensity

Examples from the Web for propensity

propensity

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for propensity

propensity