penchant

noun

pen·​chant ˈpen-chənt 

especially British ˈpäⁿ-ˌshäⁿ

: a strong and continued inclination

broadly : liking

Did you know?

English has multiple p-words that imply a strong instinct or liking for something, including propensity and proclivity, but to keep things precise, penchant is the proper word for implying a pronounced, persistent taste in a person ("a penchant for pretty pendants") or a predominant predilection for performing particular actions ("a penchant for petting penguins"). Penchant traces back all the way to the Latin verb pendere, meaning "to weigh," but is more immediately preceded in English by the French word penchant, from the present participle of pencher, meaning "to incline."

Synonyms of penchant

• tendency
• aptitude
• inclination
• devices
• affinity
• knack

Choose the Right Synonym for penchant

leaning, propensity, proclivity, penchant mean a strong instinct or liking for something.

leaning suggests a liking or attraction not strong enough to be decisive or uncontrollable.

a student with artistic leanings

propensity implies a deeply ingrained and usually irresistible inclination.

a propensity to offer advice

proclivity suggests a strong natural proneness usually to something objectionable or evil.

a proclivity for violence

penchant implies a strongly marked taste in the person or an irresistible attraction in the object.

a penchant for taking risks

Examples of penchant in a Sentence

Aside from the Catholic penchant for fish on Fridays, there is also the tradition of eating red beans and rice on Monday … —Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005

Whether manifested in feminine decor or in an approach to teaching that assumes a female penchant for cooperative, or "connected," learning, stereotypical notions of femininity often infect institutions for women and girls. —Wendy Kaminer, Atlantic, April 1998

From both her father and mother she had inherited a penchant for art, literature, philosophy, and music. Already at eighteen she was dreaming of painting, singing, writing poetry, writing books, acting—anything and everything. —Theodore Dreiser, The Titan, 1914

a penchant for sitting by the window and staring moodily off into space

Recent Examples on the Web

The president's hands-off approach to managing Congress, along with his penchant for letting people jockey for his approval, hasn't been a particularly unifying force, either. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026

Retail traders are growing particularly fatigued with the market, a reversal from their previous penchant for dip-buying. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026

Alexia, the owner of the boutique and a devoted fan of Saint Laurent with a penchant for both the ’70s and ’90s, offers a range of classics, including ’80s lingerie dresses from Dior and jackets and shirts from Céline originating in the ’70s. —Clara Giampellegrini, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2026

Both parts display Harlin’s usual skill for escalating tension, his penchant for mixing gory terror with dark humor, and a visual precision that keeps the audience carefully acclimated to the spaces in which the various action sequences are set. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, noun derivative from present participle of pencher "to lean, slope, be inclined, tend," going back to Old French pengier, going back to Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, from *pendere "to hang" + *-icāre, verb formative — more at pendent

First Known Use

1672, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for penchant

• trenchant

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Kids Definition

penchant

noun

pen·​chant ˈpen-chənt 

: a strong liking