tendencies

noun

plural of tendency
1
as in ways
an established pattern of behavior a tendency to drop things a tendency to make snap judgments

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trends
a prevailing or general movement or inclination we'll be seeing a tendency for skirt lengths to get shorter this coming season

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in inclinations
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing a youth with a natural tendency toward arts and crafts instead of sports

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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 tendencies Pressure, uncertainty and stress can change the way familiar strengths and behavioral tendencies show up. — Paula Johnston, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026 As one of several players vying for time at cornerback, Auslander knew his ability to read opposing offenses’ intentions and receivers’ tendencies was critical. — Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026 So far this season, these Chargers are showing similar tendencies. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026 This film is about revenge, which is one of the more human tendencies to make a movie about. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026 The real Bridget Sullivan did not appear to have any such tendencies. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026 Safety positioning matters, but so do protection rules and pre-snap signals and down-and-distance tendencies. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 The rebrand and marketing campaign will attempt in part to cater to those tendencies. — Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026 Everything else emerged from that — even her more off-kilter tendencies. — Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tendencies
  1. ways
  2. trends
  3. inclinations
  4. propensities
  5. tides
  6. aptitudes
  7. directions
  8. affinities
Noun
  • The show is about the conglomeration of various immigrant groups and people taking advantage of one another in different ways in the Central Valley in California of that era.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In some ways, beauty is particularly poised to benefit from this shift.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of ways
Noun
  • Astronomers like to look at large populations of objects because bigger sample sizes should better reveal trends in their properties.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The technological infrastructure appears at the same time as changes in macroeconomic and consumer trends in the luxury apparel industry, and demand for made-to-order clothing remains due to an increasing emphasis on longevity and value.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of trends
Noun
  • And a lot of the time, people who have these kinds of inclinations towards children are people who were children who were abused themselves.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The trustees feared that if something happened to him, his heir apparent, Robert Kahn, would replace him, and it was known that Kahn had Zionistic inclinations.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of inclinations
Noun
  • Based on marginal propensities to consume for the population likely to receive the checks, Smetters estimated that about $400 billion would be spent within the first two quarters after the payments go out.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Here was a way to fix inside digital resin some of her habits and propensities, through the words of three of her daughters.
    — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 23 June 2026
Definition of propensities
Noun
  • Related Articles After three straight years of organic sales losses, the company returned to the right side of the balance sheet, reporting increases in both net sales and profitability and clearly signaling a turning of the tides.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Calvin’s eager-to-please son, Wade (Charlie Heaton), watches his captain fall prey to unnaturally turning tides.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of tides
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
Definition of aptitudes
Noun
  • Accessibility The higgledy-piggledy nature of the building, with any number of steps going in multiple different directions, does not initially scream accessibility, but there are three accessible rooms and lifts accessing every level.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Openings between each section welcome visitors from all directions.
    — Footwear News, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of directions
Noun
  • With its affinities for isolation and, at times, imposing scale, Land art conjures archaeology and the geological sublime—vast expanses of space and time.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The looks were presented in pairs to highlight affinities, variations and visual echoes that reflect the designers’ methodology and approach rooted in the principle of duality.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of affinities

Browse Nearby Words

tended (to)
tendencies
tendency
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Cite this Entry

“Tendencies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tendencies. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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