tendency

1 an established pattern of behavior a tendency to drop things a tendency to make snap judgments Synonyms aptness, proneness, propensity, way Related Words affinity, aptitude, bent, disposition, inclination, leaning, mind-set, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, turn; custom, habit, pattern, practice (also practise), routine, wont; eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, singularity, trick Near Antonyms averseness, disinclination, dislike, indisposition

2 a prevailing or general movement or inclination we'll be seeing a tendency for skirt lengths to get shorter this coming season Synonyms current, direction, drift, leaning, run, trend, tide, windRelated Words curve, downside, shift, swing, turn, turnabout, upside; custom, habit, propensity, tenor, way; countercurrent, countertrend; undercurrent, undertow

3 a habitual attraction to some activity or thing a youth with a natural tendency toward arts and crafts instead of sports Synonyms affection, affinity, aptitude, bent, bias, bone, devices, disposition, genius, habitude, impulse, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, inclination, turnRelated Words favor, one-sidedness, partisanship, prejudice; endowment, faculty, flair, genius, gift, knack, talent; addiction, appetite, fancy, fondness, like, liking, preference, taste; forte, speciality, specialty; convention, custom, habit, pattern, practice (also practise), routine, trick, way, wont; eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, kink, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, singularityNear Antonyms allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disinclination, dislike, disliking, disrelish, distaste; detachment, impartiality, neutrality, objectivity; apathy, disinterestedness, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern