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

propelling pencil, propend, propene, propense, propension, propensity, propenyl, propenyl group, propepsin, proper, proper adjective

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