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

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. Maynard James Keenan, in the song "Schism", by Tool:

   cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion, between supposed lovers, between supposed brothers. And I know the pieces fit.

2. Francis Collins:

   There is a tendency in many White evangelical churches to assume that science is atheistic, god gave us both a sense of God's love and care and compassion, but he also gave us the brain and the opportunity to understand God's creation, which is nature, which includes things like viruses. And I think God expected us to use those gifts to understand how to protect ourselves and others from disease. If we have the opportunity to heal through medicine, I think God expects us to do that and not count on some supernatural intervention to come and save us when he's already given us the chance to be saved by other means.

3. Barack Obama:

   Real progress, people have a tendency when the fires are put out, once the cars aren't being tipped over...then folks want to go back and focus on whatever reality TV thing is going on.

4. Marcy Keckler:

   While millennials may have a tendency to be more impulsive about certain decisions, recent research leads me to believe that the majority are really trying to learn from what their parents went through and are using that knowledge to make informed financial choices.

5. Tony Blair:

   I just want to say this. I want to say it gently but I want to say it firmly: There is a tendency for the world to say to America, "the big problems of the world are yours, you go and sort them out," and then to worry when America wants to sort them out.

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