1
as in proneness
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 trend
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 inclination
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
a youth with a natural tendency toward arts and crafts instead of sports
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tendency
Aggressive investors Aggressive investors who are comfortable with higher volatility may choose to push silver allocations to 10% to 15% of their total portfolio, capitalizing on the metal's tendency to outperform gold during commodity rallies.
—
Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
Pete Holmes understands the art of conversation — especially the way to get people to open up about their secret weird tendencies.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Our choices have resulted in failing infrastructure, sky high medical costs, and economic inequality, contributing to the current protectionist tendencies.
—Amanda Sloat, Time, 2 Jan. 2026
That’s where an outside voice might come in handy, considering Campbell has a tendency to will things into existence as a play caller, and Morton hasn’t been a play caller for the majority of his career.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tendency
Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
Pete Holmes understands the art of conversation — especially the way to get people to open up about their secret weird tendencies.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Our choices have resulted in failing infrastructure, sky high medical costs, and economic inequality, contributing to the current protectionist tendencies.
—Amanda Sloat, Time, 2 Jan. 2026
That’s where an outside voice might come in handy, considering Campbell has a tendency to will things into existence as a play caller, and Morton hasn’t been a play caller for the majority of his career.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tendency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tendency
Noun
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Both Max’s debut LP, Heaven & Hell, and her sophomore album, Diamonds and Dancefloors, were pushed back for release because of leaks, and Max has addressed her music’s proneness to making its way online before release in the past.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The pants are loose from the thighs to the hems, giving you room to move while still keeping the shape on-trend.—
Michelle Rostamian,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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Why Shop With Us Alison Syrett Cleary is an editor and writer with over 10 years of experience covering fashion trends.—
Alison Syrett Cleary,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The inclination to avoid that threshold already impacted Denver’s decision not to sign a rookie contract extension with Peyton Watson last month.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 Nov. 2025
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Lin—whose early career at Zappos and mathematical inclinations molded him into an early backer of companies like Airbnb and DoorDash—has been at Sequoia since 2010.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
On Friday night the Supreme Court granted the request to block full SNAP payments as the case works its way through the courts.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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And the biggest November snowfall ever recorded in the city is 12 inches, all the way back in 1895.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Greenland was incorporated into Denmark in 1953, as a tide of decolonization swept the globe following World War II.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
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More than a year after it was completed, the Smith Canal Gate was closed Monday because water levels rose to 8 feet, along with some other factors, including rising king tides and precipitation, according to Darren Suen, San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency executive director.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This aptitude for song and dance, combined with some friend-of-a-friend magic, was enough to get Taylor an audience with two people who would change her life.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
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Mount’s defensive aptitude proved important in keeping United compact throughout, regularly dropping into vacant spaces to slow down any nascent attacks.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Baltimore’s propensity to blow big leads was a major source of frustration within the organization, team sources said.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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With his propensity to touch upon issues and areas that transcend city governance, an initiative of this kind by Mamdani could easily be viewed as part of a broader remit.—
Vijay Dandapani,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At a moment of increasing niche-ification of the news media business, Axel Springer is running in the opposite direction.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Automation can go in either of these directions; that’s why the task of the left is to create social and cultural conditions in which the benign and constructive aspects of technology and automation are primary.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tendency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tendency. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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