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tendencyMain Entry: ten·den·cy Pronunciation: \ˈten-dən(t)-sē\ Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural ten·den·cies Etymology: Medieval Latin tendentia, from Latin tendent-, tendens, present participle of tendere Date: 1628 1 a : direction or approach toward a place, object, effect, or limit b : a proneness to a particular kind of thought or action synonyms tendency, trend, drift, tenor, current mean movement in a particular direction. tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force <a general tendency toward inflation>. trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course <the long-term trend of the stock market is upward>. drift may apply to a tendency determined by external forces <the drift of the population away from large cities> or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse <got the drift of her argument>. tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course <the tenor of the times>. current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course <an encounter that changed the current of my life>.
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