Synonyms of predispose

predispose

verb

as in to influence

formal to cause (someone) to be more likely to behave in a particular way or to be affected by a particular condition

Past experiences have predisposed her to distrust people.

Researchers have identified a gene that may predispose some people to the disease.

Related Words

• influence
• persuade
• convince
• dispose
• incline
• prepare
• fit
• ready
• suggest
• sway
• lay
• prepossess
• groom
• fix
• prep
• bias
• prejudice
• poison

Synonym Chooser

How is the word predispose different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of predispose are bias, dispose, and incline. While all these words mean "to influence one to have or take an attitude toward something," 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?

When is it sensible to use bias instead of predispose?

The words bias and predispose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bias suggests a settled and predictable leaning in one direction and connotes unfair prejudice.

the experience biased him against foreigners

When is dispose a more appropriate choice than predispose?

While the synonyms dispose and predispose are close in meaning, dispose suggests an affecting of one's mood or temper so as to incline one toward something.

her nature disposes her to trust others

Where would incline be a reasonable alternative to predispose?

While in some cases nearly identical to predispose, incline implies a tendency to favor one of two or more actions or conclusions.

I incline to agree

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of predispose

Overall, aspirin makes the environment more challenging for cancer to get a foothold in, particularly for people with the genetic makeup predisposed to dysregulated cell function, where cancer cell growth and division is more likely. —New Atlas, 18 Sep. 2025

The substance also damages airways and predisposes individuals to develop many chronic lung diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease. —Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Those audiences are predisposed to this like movie, so we were maybe getting graded on a curve there, but that’s OK. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025

Surprisingly, some families, like Carnivora (dogs, bears, weasels), were responsible for about a quarter of all these origins, suggesting certain lineages were predisposed to make the leap. —Rupendra Brahambhatt, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2025