Definition of predilectionnext

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 My brother, who is 10 years older, his friends were these sort of tornado people who really had this predilection for self-sabotage. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 17 Apr. 2026 Despite some obvious physical scarring and a seeming predilection for contorting her body in creepy ways, Katie seems pretty healthy, or so the Egyptian doctors tell her parents. Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026 Annie wondered if her predilection for Boy Talk had been living dormant in her body, the way chicken pox stayed quiet for decades and then bloomed into shingles. Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026 Jude told me that his predilection for montage was influenced by Sergei Eisenstein, the Russian director. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for predilection
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predilection
Noun
  • There is still a tendency in tech to assume serious funding has to flow through San Francisco or New York, but capital is increasingly available in markets that historically sat outside the center of the venture ecosystem.
    Hebron Sher, Fortune, 29 May 2026
  • Overprivileged students had a tendency to see teachers and headmasters not as authority figures but as people of lower social standing.
    Thomas Adam, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • Born to a humble family in the twilight years of the shogunate, Higuchi Natsuko (as she was born) was the fourth child and second daughter of a man with scholarly inclinations, who as a farmer had come to the capital to seek both fortune and rank.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
  • As organizations grow, leaders have an inclination to create more bureaucracy and more complexity.
    Bob Rhatigan, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Noun
  • During the regular season, both were among the top seven NBA teams by defensive rating, and the Knicks particularly improved by that defensive aptitude as the season went on.
    John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • Even if he was blown away by the aptitude of every member of a front office that has been here for the 22-45-1 run under Schoen, it still was expected that Harbaugh would bring in someone with ties to him from Baltimore.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Noun
  • Looking for more travel-friendly tech devices for your journey?
    Aly Walansky, Travel + Leisure, 29 May 2026
  • Nearby homes were evacuated during the investigation, and the bomb squad hauled out boxes of what were described as consumer-grade pyrotechnic devices, enough to fill more than three box trucks, according to investigators at the scene.
    City News Service, Daily News, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • Despite a lack of formal diplomatic relations, both sides share close economic ties, cultural affinity and historical connections.
    Wayne Chang, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
  • During a launch breakfast in London on Wednesday, Boateng added that his affinity for interior spaces grew directly from his tailoring career, and that shifting from fashion to furnishings felt like a natural transition.
    Mary Wenthur, Footwear News, 3 June 2026
Noun
  • The story takes place in Iran, where both Nayeri and Bell lived as children, and the creators’ affection for the setting shines through in their work.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
  • But your New Country friends speak of theirs with an affection and an entitlement that, together, unnerve you.
    Taiye Selasi, New Yorker, 31 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Predilection.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predilection. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

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