tendency

UK: /ˈtɛndənsi/ US: /ˈtɛndənsi/ ,(ten′dən sē)

Inflections of 'tendency' (n): npl: tendencies

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ten•den•cy /ˈtɛndənsi/   n. [countable] , pl. -cies. 

1. a natural disposition to move or act in some direction or toward some result:
   The car has a tendency to slide to the left.

See -tend-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ten•den•cy  (ten′dən sē), n., pl. -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.

• Medieval Latin tendentia. See tend¹, -ency
• 1620–30

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.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tendency / ˈtɛndənsɪ/ noun ( -cies)

1. (often followed by to) an inclination, predisposition, propensity, or leaning
2. the general course, purport, or drift of something, esp a written work

Etymology: 17th Century: from Medieval Latin tendentia, from Latin tendere to tend¹