Definition of PREDISPOSE

Choose the Right Synonym for predispose

incline, bias, dispose, predispose mean to influence one to have or take an attitude toward something. incline implies a tendency to favor one of two or more actions or conclusions. I incline to agree bias suggests a settled and predictable leaning in one direction and connotes unfair prejudice. the experience biased him against foreigners dispose suggests an affecting of one's mood or temper so as to incline one toward something. her nature disposes her to trust others predispose implies the operation of a disposing influence well in advance of the opportunity to manifest itself. does fictional violence predispose them to accept real violence?

What is the difference between disposition and predisposition?

What exactly is someone's disposition? And is it different from a predisposition? A person's disposition is his or her usual mood or attitude. Are you typically pretty happy? You could be described as having a happy—or cheerful, or sunny—disposition. Animals have dispositions too; a dog with a nervous disposition doesn't easily relax into a restful pup curled up at someone’s feet. In this use, disposition is a synonym of temperament; both words refer to the complex set of attitudes and inclinations that guide behavior.

Disposition can also mean "tendency" or "inclination," and in such cases it has a surprising synonym: predisposition. A disposition to exaggerate is the same as a predisposition to exaggerate. A disposition toward humility is likewise the same thing as a predisposition toward humility. The fact of being "in advance" that the prefix pre- implies hardly matters when tendency and inclination are concerned, since both concern what is likely to happen in the future.

While phrases like "a disposition to cooperate" are about as common as "a predisposition to cooperate," when the context is medical, predisposition is far more common. Phrases like "a genetic predisposition to nearsightedness" appear much more frequently in published, edited text than similar phrases employing disposition.

Did You Know?

Predispose usually means putting someone in a frame of mind to be willing to do something. So a longtime belief in the essential goodness of people, for example, will predispose us to trust a stranger. Teachers know that coming from a stable family generally predisposes children to learn. And viewing television violence for years may leave young people with a predisposition to accept real violence as normal. The medical sense of the word is similar. Thus, a person's genes may predispose her to diabetes or arthritis, and malnutrition over a long period can predispose you to all kinds of infections.

Examples of predispose in a Sentence

Past experiences have predisposed her to distrust people.

Recent Examples on the Web Some people may think that mask wearing would reveal feelings of vulnerability, running counter to an evolutionary trait that predisposes us to disguise fear. — TheWeek, "The truth about masks," 31 May 2020 Emerging data suggests there could be genetic factors that predispose some people to more severe cases of COVID-19, according to Nicholas Schork, deputy director of quantitative sciences at TGen. — Amanda Morris, azcentral, "Are some people more likely to get sick with COVID-19? Genetics may offer clues," 22 Apr. 2020 Certain genetic variants, especially in genes that influence the immune system, seem to predispose people to a host of other infectious diseases. — oregonlive, "Why do some people die from coronavirus, others hardly get sick? The answer could be your genes," 20 Apr. 2020 The virus strikes most harshly among people suffering from diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure - the same conditions that predispose people to strokes and heart attacks and that are most prevalent among blacks and Hispanics. — Anchorage Daily News, "Patients with heart attacks, strokes, appendicitis vanish from hospitals," 19 Apr. 2020 Prominent medical groups have reconsidered their approach, however, and now recognize obesity as a medical disorder caused by a complex web of underlying factors, which in turn predisposes people to other serious medical problems. — Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, "Obesity Linked to Severe Coronavirus Disease, Especially for Younger Patients," 16 Apr. 2020 And four Children’s Wisconsin hematologists reported that a child abuse pediatrician misinterpreted a key test that pointed to a possible bleeding disorder that may have predisposed the baby to easy bruising. — NBC News, "Wisconsin hospital pledges 'honest and transparent' probe of its handling of child abuse cases," 28 Jan. 2020 Allis said that despite the best efforts of tribal leaders, the circumstances in which Native American communities exist already predispose them to risks. — CBS News, "Longstanding issues put Native American communities at high COVID-19 risk," 18 Apr. 2020 In the long-term, that kind of damage leads to COPD and related issues, like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and also predisposes you to developing infections like pneumonia, Dr. Melamed says. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "What's the Safest Way to Consume Cannabis Right Now?," 15 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'predispose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.