a natural or prevailing disposition to move, proceed, or act in some direction or toward some point, end, or result: the tendency of falling bodies toward the earth.
2.
an inclination, bent, or predisposition to something: a tendency to talk too much.
3.
a special and definite purpose in a novel or other literary work.
Origin: 1620–30; < Medieval Latintendentia. See tend1, -ency
Synonyms 1. Tendency, direction, trend, drift refer to inclination or line of action or movement. A tendency is an inclination toward a certain line of action (whether or not the action follows), and is often the result of inherent qualities, nature, or habit: a tendency to procrastinate.Direction is the line along which an object or course of action moves, often toward some set point or intended goal: The change is in the direction of improvement.Trend emphasizes simultaneous movement in a certain direction of a number of factors, although the course or goal may not be clear for any single feature: Business indicators showed a downward trend.Drift emphasizes gradual development as well as direction: the drift of his argument.2. proclivity, leaning.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.