propensity

American  

[pruh-pen-si-tee] / prəˈpɛn sɪ ti /

noun

• propensities
  plural

1. a natural inclination or tendency.

   a propensity to drink too much.

   Synonyms:

   proclivity, penchant, disposition, leaning, bent

2. Obsolete. favorable disposition or partiality.

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propensity British  

/ prəˈpɛnsɪtɪ /

noun

1. a natural tendency or disposition

2. obsolete partiality

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• propensities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of propensity

First recorded in 1560–70; propense + -ity

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Compare meaning

How does propensity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• proclivity vs. propensity

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Explanation

A propensity is a natural tendency to behave in a certain way. We all have propensities — things we tend to do. Dogs have a propensity to bark, and many people have a propensity for getting annoyed by it. If you have a propensity for something, then it's something that comes naturally to you or something you just do a lot. Some people have a propensity to laugh. Other people have a propensity for making others laugh, or for being generous, or for getting angry. It's hard to change your propensities. Sometimes a propensity is a bad thing, as in a criminal with a propensity for theft or murder.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

propensity propensities

This propensity for attention-grabbing was certainly in full effect at Bill Pay’s official premiere.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

It also papers over how homeowners may be bringing certain attributes to the process that make it more likely that they’ll build wealth, like higher incomes and a propensity to save.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

My mom, who also had a propensity for hair that could double as armor, often joked we should bury her with a six-pack of Diet Coke and a bottle of hair spray.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Galperin is similarly skeptical of any potential features that could meaningfully curb stalking: “It is not salvageable technology because of just the sheer scale of propensity to abuse.”

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

During most of its life, a star is in an uneasy equilibrium: the propensity to collapse under its own gravity is balanced by the energy that comes from the fusing hydrogen in its center.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The upshot is that equity wealth is increasingly available to fund spending among households with higher marginal propensities to consume.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

I’m still the same person with the same propensities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

The authors say that the study cannot disentangle the mechanisms driving the difference in the propensities to attend to social information.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2024

“Both the department and Police Protective League, after a period of time, get to know the hearing examiners, get to know their propensities, get to know the areas that they may be more sensitive to.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2023

Limbs, torsos, brains, eyes, faces—even temperaments or propensities that were inherited—had to be created anew each time an embryo unfurled into a human fetus.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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Related Words

• bias
• disposition
• leaning
• penchant
• predilection
• predisposition
• proclivity
• susceptibility
• tendency

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