as in inclinations
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
a young lad with a predilection for telling tall tales
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Recent Examples of predilections
Peggy isn’t panicked by her son’s alpha-male predilections.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
But tell that to the phalanx of local and national entities — from community boards to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — that don't share their predilections.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Jan. 2026
The big unknown, of course, is how long Trump is willing to stay selling the idea, and whether Republicans will bend to his predilections.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
PlatinumGames share many of the same predilections at Team Ninja (mainly boobs and violence) but carved their own niche as the creators of hyper-kinetic action games like Bayonetta that stretch the boundaries of what the human attention span can manage.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
But tell that to the phalanx of local and national entities — from community boards to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — that don't share their predilections.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 18 Jan. 2026
The big unknown, of course, is how long Trump is willing to stay selling the idea, and whether Republicans will bend to his predilections.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
PlatinumGames share many of the same predilections at Team Ninja (mainly boobs and violence) but carved their own niche as the creators of hyper-kinetic action games like Bayonetta that stretch the boundaries of what the human attention span can manage.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predilections
Noun
-
This is the standard for ramp inclinations that are usable for most people, especially wheelchair users.—
K. Desbouis,
Artforum,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Trump’s inclinations to make every race about him could foul this for the GOP.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The music business’ macho and misogynistic tendencies had reached a peak in 1987.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
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By layering indicators such as travel habits, purchase footprints, and neighborhood retail tendencies, Vado builds rooftop-level consumer profiles that may help advertisers identify areas with promising engagement patterns.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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More money is apt to make homeschooling worse and far less tailored to the individual student and their interests and aptitudes by encouraging parents to substitute pricey group programs for the requisite effort of individualized instruction.—
Marie Sapirie,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The caveat is jurors and audiences at home are not allowed to vote for their own country; geopolitical affinities or rivalries often supersede talent.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
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Players have to create teams that exploit a boss’ weakness in order to defeat them, and that means building up characters that have the right elemental affinities.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Predilections.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predilections. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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