as in tendencies
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
a penchant for sitting by the window and staring moodily off into space
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penchants
From his travels, has Khoury noticed major differences in the pastry penchants of various countries and cultures?
—
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025
Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penchants
Noun
-
Americans of all political tendencies increasingly favor sweeping, disorienting political change.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
-
With the Jax-sized hole in the cast, the narcissistic tendencies in the other men become more glaring, showing how covert mistreatment can slowly chip away at a relationship.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Who knew that such daring would lead to a film that avoids these inclinations entirely, especially one that could have so easily leaned into controversial territory?—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Samuel Alito’s inclinations have not been hard to discern lately.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For this class, the premise is that your purpose in life lies to the intersection of your values, your aptitudes and your interests.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.—
GRACIA LIU-FARRER,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Its formal and ontological affinities with dysfunction, fragmentation, and violence would seem to render that debt proverbial to the point of cliché.—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Today, costly and time-consuming coachbuilding acts as a mirror for the owner’s personal style and affinities, all the while displaying the status of having formed such a close connection with a brand that you’re invited to commission something singular.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penchants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penchants. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
