Definitions for tendency
ˈtɛn dən siten·den·cy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 4 votes

1. inclination, disposition, tendencynoun

   an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others

   "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict"

2. leaning, propensity, tendencynoun

   an inclination to do something

   "he felt leanings toward frivolity"

3. tendency, inclinationnoun

   a characteristic likelihood of or natural disposition toward a certain condition or character or effect

   "the alkaline inclination of the local waters"; "fabric with a tendency to shrink"

4. tendency, trendnoun

   a general direction in which something tends to move

   "the shoreward tendency of the current"; "the trend of the stock market"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. tendencynoun

   a likelihood of behaving in a particular way or going in a particular direction; a tending toward.

   Denim has a tendency to fade.

2. Etymology: Ultimately from the Latin tendere / tendō.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tendence, Tendencynoun

   Etymology: from tend.

   1. Direction or course towards any place or object.

   It is not much business that distracts any man; but the want of purity, constancy, and tendency towards God. Taylor.

   Writings of this kind, if conducted with candour, have a more particular tendency to the good of their country than any other compositions. Joseph Addison, Freeholder, №. 40.

   We may acquaint ourselves with the powers and properties, the tendencies and inclinations, of body and spirit. Isaac Watts.

   All of them are innocent, and most of them had a moral tendency, to soften the virulence of parties, or laugh out of countenance some vice or folly. Jonathan Swift.

   2. Direction or course toward any inference or result; drift.

   These opinions are of so little moment, that, like motes in the sun, their tendencies are little noticed. John Locke.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tendency

   A tendency is a characteristic inclination or predisposition towards a certain way of acting or thinking. It can refer to something that consistently happens or an individual's usual manner of behaviour. In a broader sense, it's an inclination towards a particular kind of condition or outcome; a latent potentiality or influence towards a specific result.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tendencynoun

   direction or course toward any place, object, effect, or result; drift; causal or efficient influence to bring about an effect or result

Matched Categories

1. • Attitude
   • Direction
   • Disposition

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'tendency' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3329

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'tendency' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4589

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'tendency' in Nouns Frequency: #1204

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce tendency?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say tendency in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tendency in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tendency in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of tendency in a Sentence

1. Tim Dixon:

   There is a tendency I think for the whole nature of the political polarization to become so distasteful that there's a large number of people who are just stepping back from it altogether and just sort of don't want to choose a side.

2. Aaron McDonald:

   I currently have a client who just yesterday reported such a behavior in her dog, Isis. Her toddler has a tendency to climb and tumble. As a response, the dog now stands behind her to brace her fall. The owner gave no such instruction. What emotion drives that innovation, if not feelings of empathy ? Empathy is found at the heart of social attachment.

3. Hakeem Jeffries:

   ( Trump's) reaction to Charlottesville was clearly inadequate, unacceptable, inappropriate, and for many people throughout America, led them to conclude that the President of the United States chose to pull the sheets off and reveal himself, in terms of his tendency to be a racial arsonist, fanning the flames of hatred.

4. Curtis Strange:

   I hung it out to the right because of the lie, people don't know that yes, the ball is above your feet, but you're also hitting on a downslope, and your tendency is to hit it right because you hang onto it to make sure you hit it solidly. It took me years to figure that out.

5. Reinhold Niebuhr:

   The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan values and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=tendency
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tendency
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=tendency
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tendency
6. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tendency