tendency
Americannoun
-
tendencies
plural
-
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
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(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
Twelve Angry Men
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Coraline
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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’s a tendency to think that, because one has had any success at all, be it a musical callback or a greenlit freelance piece or a short story selected for publication, that they know best.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
The pair’s research relates to homochirality, which is the tendency of living systems to use just one of two possible mirror-image forms of a molecule.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"As human beings, we have this tendency to compare ourselves to others," said Phillippa Diedrichs, professor of psychology at the Centre for Appearance Research, UWE Bristol.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
That indicated that RNA had a substantially stronger tendency to condense.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
There was a tendency, in markets and life, for people to respond to the possibility of extreme events in one of two ways: flight or fight.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
So far this season, these Chargers are showing similar tendencies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
As he returns, his natural tendencies, which suit these tactics, may help Spurs create more goalscoring chances.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
For that reason, the equations are designed to identify tendencies rather than predict an unavoidable future.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
But for Kusama, art wasn’t a path chosen for fame and fortune; art was a sublimation and a salve for her compulsive tendencies and psychotic episodes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Jason finally gets along with Annabeth, and her brainiac tendencies start rubbing off on him.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
