Synonym Chooser

How does the noun predilection contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of predilection are bias, prejudice, and prepossession. While all these words mean "an attitude of mind that predisposes one to favor something," predilection implies a strong liking deriving from one's temperament or experience.

a predilection for travel

When could bias be used to replace predilection?

Although the words bias and predilection have much in common, bias implies an unreasoned and unfair distortion of judgment in favor of or against a person or thing.

a strong bias toward the plaintiff

When is it sensible to use prejudice instead of predilection?

The words prejudice and predilection can be used in similar contexts, but prejudice usually implies an unfavorable prepossession and connotes a feeling rooted in suspicion, fear, or intolerance.

a mindless prejudice against the unfamiliar

When can prepossession be used instead of predilection?

While the synonyms prepossession and predilection are close in meaning, prepossession suggests a fixed conception likely to preclude objective judgment of anything counter to it.

a prepossession against technology

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 predilection But with a predilection for risk taking among K-pop generally and BLACKPINK specifically — along with a famously devoted fanbase that celebrates and elevates most anything the group does — the song had finally landed with the right act. Katie Bain, Billboard, 23 July 2025 Equal to Trump’s predilection for tariffs has been his administration’s unwillingness to enforce them. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 11 July 2025 The trick is to help young people manage such predilections safely. Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 7 July 2025 At one point, Diddy’s defense suggested that his predilection was a run-of-the-mill thing people were into — cuckolding. Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for predilection
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predilection
Noun
  • This is presumably a reference to Perkins' status as a closeted gay man, something Hitchcock likely knew, and not because Perkins had homicidal tendencies.
    JR Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • They were supervised, or not supervised, or supervised in such a way that their worst tendencies were encouraged instead of discouraged.
    Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • As Tuchel attested, England’s inclination to regain possession was as impressive as their work on the ball.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • But Iapetus’s inclination and equatorial ridge — which is more continuous on the Saturn-facing side — remain mysterious.
    Big Think, Big Think, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Cootes also has demonstrated some solid aptitude in the faceoff circle.
    Thomas Drance, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Her aptitude was unavoidable at the Fendi show, where top models holding desirable handbags, styled with joyful knits, eye-catching dresses and sporty separates, strutted past guests, including actors Hilary Duff, Naomi Watts and Bang Chan of the South Korean boy band Stray Kids.
    Kati Chitrakorn, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The same chip technology could also be used for compact spectrometers, quantum devices, optical clocks, and next-generation LiDAR systems.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The chip is expected to feature in laptops and handheld devices later this year and early 2026.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Double-big lineup shaky early on A major part of the intrigue surrounding Şengün’s potential development this season is Houston’s affinity for using him in double-big lineups next to Steven Adams or Capela.
    William Guillory, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Kafka’s affinity with Black people arose at least in part from his sense of himself as a Jew in an increasingly hostile Central European environment.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Football is increasingly focused on the club game, but players — particularly those who have spent much of their career abroad — still have a deep affection for representing their nation.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The plot actually focuses on the efforts of fellow investigator Chiwetel Ejiofor’s pursuit of the culprit, and of his affection for assistant DA Nicole Kidman.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Predilection.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predilection. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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