tendency
ten·den·cy
noun \ˈten-dən(t)-sē\: a quality that makes something likely to happen or that makes someone likely to think or behave in a particular way
: a way of behaving, proceeding, etc., that is developing and becoming more common
plural ten·den·cies
Full Definition of TENDENCY
1
a : direction or approach toward a place, object, effect, or limit b : a proneness to a particular kind of thought or action
2
a : the purposeful trend of something written or said : aim b : deliberate but indirect advocacy
See Examples of TENDENCY
- The economy has shown a general tendency toward inflation.
- <a tendency to drop things>
Origin of TENDENCY
Medieval Latin tendentia, from Latin tendent-, tendens, present participle of tendere
First Known Use: 1628
Related to TENDENCY
- Synonyms
- aptness, proneness, propensity, way
Synonym Discussion of TENDENCY
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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