tendency

[ten-duhn-see]

noun

plural

tendencies 

1. 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.

2. an inclination, bent, or predisposition to something.

   a tendency to talk too much.

   Synonyms: leaning, proclivity

3. a special and definite purpose in a novel or other literary work.

tendency

/ ˈtɛndənsɪ /

noun

1. (often foll by to) an inclination, predisposition, propensity, or leaning

   she has a tendency to be frivolous

   a tendency to frivolity

2. the general course, purport, or drift of something, esp a written work

3. a faction, esp one within a political party

   the militant tendency

Other Word Forms

• countertendency noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tendency¹

From the Medieval Latin word tendentia, dating back to 1620–30. See tend ¹, -ency

Word History and Origins

Origin of tendency¹

C17: from Medieval Latin tendentia, from Latin tendere to _tend ¹

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“One of the problems is that capital-M ‘miracles’ have a tendency to be quite bombastic” in biblical entertainment, says Leshem, who directed most episodes of “The Saints.”

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For now, the most human thing about humanoid robots may be our tendency to overestimate them.

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Her contribution is a reminder to beware the tendency among organizations—particularly technology-driven ones—to deem the unsafe perfectly safe.

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Is it a parable about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence and the fawning tendencies of large language models?

Read more on Salon

“There’s a tendency for folks to jump at a solution when there may not even be a problem that exists,” he says.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bias 
• habit 
• impulse 
• leaning 
• penchant 
• propensity 
• shift 
• trend 
• type 
• weakness