tendency
Americannoun
-
a natural or prevailing disposition to move, proceed, or act in some direction or toward some point, end, or result.
the tendency of falling bodies toward the earth.
-
an inclination, bent, or predisposition to something.
a tendency to talk too much.
- Synonyms:
- leaning, proclivity
-
a special and definite purpose in a novel or other literary work.
noun
-
(often foll by to) an inclination, predisposition, propensity, or leaning
she has a tendency to be frivolous
a tendency to frivolity
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the general course, purport, or drift of something, esp a written work
-
a faction, esp one within a political party
the militant tendency
Synonym Usage
Tendency, direction, trend, drift refer to inclination or line of action or movement. A tendency is an inclination toward a certain line of action (whether or not the action follows), and is often the result of inherent qualities, nature, or habit: a tendency to procrastinate. Direction is the line along which an object or course of action moves, often toward some set point or intended goal: The change is in the direction of improvement. Trend emphasizes simultaneous movement in a certain direction of a number of factors, although the course or goal may not be clear for any single feature: Business indicators showed a downward trend. Drift emphasizes gradual development as well as direction: the drift of his argument.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tendency
From the Medieval Latin word tendentia, dating back to 1620–30. See tend 1, -ency
Explanation
A tendency is an inclination to do something. For example, dogs have a tendency to bark at strangers and the mail man. We all have tendencies: things we're inclined to do, or like to do, or just can't help doing. Morning people have a tendency to get up early. Basketball players usually have a tendency to go right or left. Optimists have a tendency to look on the bright side of things; pessimists have the opposite tendency. Other things have tendencies too, like how the stock market tends to go up and down.
Vocabulary lists containing tendency
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There has long been a tendency in San Francisco for homes to be listed below market value to get an auction effect going, she says.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
How do we reconcile this desire for liquid cash security with a tendency for hyper-speculative investing?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
More generally, female dispersal and the tendency for males to remain in their natal group also constitute a predominant pattern among the great apes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
Retail investors’ increasingly active approach to trading the markets could create more of a buffer for equity prices, Rubner said, given their tendency to swoop in and buy on weakness.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Here, again, was Dumbledore’s tendency to trust people in spite of overwhelming evidence that they did not deserve it!
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Swift built her reputation as an ultra-relatable pop star, seemingly down-to-earth with her regular girl fashion sensibilities, boy troubles and cat-lady tendencies.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
In the first stage of the disease, some people also experience short-term memory problems, depression, aggressive tendencies, and executive function issues, according to the CTE Society, a non-profit group.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Amodei has also warned that it is plausible that powerful AI systems, which he expects to exist in the near future, could develop destructive tendencies in unpredictable ways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Our harmonic tendencies were nowhere near as complex, but they were rapidly becoming more sophisticated thanks to our exposure to such great improvisers as Miles!
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
A folded dollar bill holding down the switch, stopping the alarm from blaring and letting everyone in the hospital know some crazy guy with cystic fibrosis and self-destructive tendencies is hanging out on the roof.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
