tendencies

IPA/ˈten.dən.si/
KK[tˈɛndənsiz]IPA/ˈten.dən.si/

tendencies — noun

  • tendenciessingular
  • tendenciesesplural

1. a quality of someone's character that makes them often behave or think in a part

1.nounB1
Definition

a quality of someone's character that makes them often behave or think in a particular way, especially without deciding to

Example

Hana has a tendency to arrive at least fifteen minutes early for every appointment.

tendency + to-infinitive for personal habits

Aarav's tendency to double-check every number saved the team from many costly mistakes.

Common collocations
  • natural tendency
  • strong tendency
  • growing tendency
  • tendency to overreact
  • tendency to avoid
Synonyms
  • inclination

    stronger, more about inner desire than habit

  • habit

    more automatic and repeated than tendency

  • propensity

    more formal; suggests a natural, often strong inclination

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

tendency + to-infinitive

tendency + toward/towards + noun

Usage Note

Often used with possessive adjectives (his tendency, her tendency) or with 'has a tendency' to describe a recurring personal pattern.

Common Mistakes

I have tendency to arrive late.
I have a tendency to arrive late.
'tendency' is a countable noun and needs an article.
She has the tendency for being late.
She has a tendency to be late.
Use 'tendency to + verb', not 'tendency for + gerund'.

2. the way something commonly behaves or reacts in particular circumstances, making

2.nounB1
Definition

the way something commonly behaves or reacts in particular circumstances, making a certain outcome predictable

Example

There is a clear tendency for temperatures to drop sharply after sunset in this desert region.

tendency + for + noun + to-infinitive for general likelihood

Vinícius noticed a tendency in the data: sales spike just before the winter holidays.

Common collocations
  • clear tendency
  • strong tendency
  • general tendency
  • tendency for prices
  • tendency for students
Synonyms
  • pattern

    broader; can describe any repeated arrangement, not just probabilities

  • likelihood

    focuses on probability rather than the repeating pattern itself

Grammar Patterns

tendency + for + noun + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Typically follows the pattern 'tendency + for + [something] + to-infinitive'. The sentence often begins with 'There is a tendency...'.

Common Mistakes

There is a tendency that prices rise.
There is a tendency for prices to rise.
Use 'for + noun + to-infinitive', not a that-clause.

3. a gradual change or development in which something becomes more common or moves

3.nounB2
Definition

a gradual change or development in which something becomes more common or moves in a particular direction

Example

The market shows a clear tendency toward smaller, more fuel-efficient cars every year.

tendency + toward + noun for market direction

Ilan pointed out the growing tendency to hold business meetings online rather than in person.

growing tendency + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • growing tendency
  • increasing tendency
  • recent tendency
  • clear tendency toward
  • market tendency
Synonyms
  • trend

    more neutral and commonly used than tendency for market/social changes

  • shift

    suggests a clearer break from the previous situation

  • movement

    suggests an active, collective change

Grammar Patterns

tendency + to-infinitive

tendency + toward/towards + noun

Usage Note

Often modified by adjectives like 'growing', 'increasing', 'clear', 'recent' to indicate direction and strength. Common in discussions of social, economic, or technological change.

Word family

  • tend
    verbB1
  • tendency
    nounB1
  • tendentious
    adjectiveC1
  • tendentiously
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe a person's regular way of behaving, but they differ in strength and scope. 'Tendency' (B1) is the most neutral and general — it simply means someone often behaves in a certain way ('She has a tendency to interrupt'). 'Inclination' (B2) is more about inner desire or preference than actual repeated behavior; you can have an inclination to help others without always acting on it. 'Habit' (B1) is the most automatic and unconscious — something you do regularly without thinking, like biting your nails. 'Propensity' (C1) is the most formal and often implies a stronger, almost built-in drive, such as a propensity for risk-taking. In everyday conversation, 'tendency' and 'habit' are most common; 'propensity' belongs in academic or professional writing.

inclination ↗habit ↗propensity

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have a tendency to
  • there is a tendency for
  • a tendency toward
  • growing tendency of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'tendere' meaning 'to stretch, extend, or aim'. The word entered English through French 'tendance' in the 1600s, originally carrying the sense of 'direction or course'. Over time it came to describe both physical direction and, more commonly, a person's natural inclinations or the general direction of events.

First known use

1628

1628, in the meaning defined at sense 1b