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tendency

 - 3 dictionary results

ten⋅den⋅cy

  [ten-duhn-see]
Use tendency in a Sentence
–noun, plural -cies.
1. 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; < ML tendentia. See tend 1 , -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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tendency
ten·den·cy   (těn'dən-sē)   
n.   pl. ten·den·cies

  1. Movement or prevailing movement in a given direction: observed the tendency of the wind; the shoreward tendency of the current.

  2. A characteristic likelihood: fabric that has a tendency to wrinkle.

  3. A predisposition to think, act, behave, or proceed in a particular way.

    1. An implicit direction or purpose: not openly liberal, but that is the tendency of the book.

    2. An implicit point of view in written or spoken matter; a bias.


[Medieval Latin tendentia, from Latin tendēns, tendent-, present participle of tendere, to tend; see tend1.]
Synonyms: These nouns refer to the direction or course of an action or thought. Tendency implies a predisposition to proceed in a particular way: "The tendency of our own day is ... towards firm, solid, verifiable knowledge" (William H. Mallock).
Trend often applies to a general or prevailing direction, especially within a particular sphere: "the trend of religious thought in recent times" (James Harvey Robinson).
Current suggests a course or flow, as of opinion, especially one representative of a given time or place: "the whole current of modern feeling" (James Bryce).
A drift is a tendency that seems driven by a shifting current: a drift toward communism in Latin America.
Tenor implies a continuous, unwavering course: "His conduct was ... uniform and unvarying in its tenor" (Frederick Marryat).
Inclination usually refers to an individual's propensity for or disposition toward one thing rather than another: an inclination to overindulge in sweets.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tendency 
1628, from M.L. tendentia "inclination, leaning," from L. tendens, prp. of tendere "to stretch, aim" (see tenet). Tendentious is recorded from 1900, after Ger. tendenziös.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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