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

Earlier this month, Censori, who is debuting an art installation in Seoul, spoke to Vanity Fair about her penchant for daring looks. —Meg Walters, InStyle, 27 Feb. 2026

Neemias Queta made all three of his field goals in the opening quarter, including a nice turnaround hook shot over Jokic and a last-second alley-oop from Pritchard, whose penchant for buzzer-beaters likely drew Denver’s attention away from the lurking big man. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Feb. 2026

In setting Blood Hammer Girl in an exotic, vague past, Locklear takes the audience back to a supposedly simpler time while sending up the human penchant for self-destruction in any era. —Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026

Dubas has a penchant for adding young, talented players to the Penguins’ roster. —Josh Yohe, New York Times, 24 Feb. 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