tendency

ten·den·cy  (tndn-s)

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.

4.

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

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

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[Medieval Latin tendentia, from Latin tendns, tendent-, present participle of tendere, to tend; see tend¹.]

Synonyms: tendency, trend, current, drift, tenor, inclination
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.

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tendency

Noun

pl -cies

1. an inclination to act in a particular way

2. the general course or drift of something

3. a faction, esp. within a political party [Latin tendere to stretch]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	tendency - 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" inclination, disposition attitude, mental attitude - a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways; "he had the attitude that work was fun" direction - a general course along which something has a tendency to develop; "I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts"; "his ideals determined the direction of his career"; "they proposed a new direction for the firm" trend, drift, movement - a general tendency to change (as of opinion); "not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book"; "a broad movement of the electorate to the right" Call - a special disposition (as if from a divine source) to pursue a particular course; "he was disappointed that he had not heard the Call" denominationalism - the tendency, in Protestantism, to separate into religious denominations or to advocate such separations devices - an inclination or desire; used in the plural in the phrase `left to your own devices'; "eventually the family left the house to the devices of this malevolent force"; "the children were left to their own devices" sympathy, understanding - an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion; "his sympathies were always with the underdog"; "I knew I could count on his understanding" favoritism, favouritism - an inclination to favor some person or group proclivity, propensity, leaning - a natural inclination; "he has a proclivity for exaggeration" bent, set - a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way; "the set of his mind was obvious" literalism - a disposition to interpret statements in their literal sense perseveration - the tendency for a memory or idea to persist or recur without any apparent stimulus for it predisposition - an inclination beforehand to interpret statements in a particular way favour, favor - an inclination to approve; "that style is in favor this season" dislike, disfavor, disfavour, disapproval - an inclination to withhold approval from some person or group partisanship, partiality - an inclination to favor one group or view or opinion over alternatives impartiality, nonpartisanship - an inclination to weigh both views or opinions equally
	2.	tendency - an inclination to do something; "he felt leanings toward frivolity" leaning, propensity inclination - that toward which you are inclined to feel a liking; "her inclination is for classical music"
	3.	tendency - 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" inclination heterosis, hybrid vigor - (genetics) the tendency of a crossbred organism to have qualities superior to those of either parent disposition - a natural or acquired habit or characteristic tendency in a person or thing; "a swelling with a disposition to rupture" buoyancy - the tendency to float in water or other liquid electronegativity, negativity - (chemistry) the tendency of an atom or radical to attract electrons in the formation of an ionic bond stainability - (cytology) the capacity of cells or cell parts to stain specifically with certain dyes desire - an inclination to want things; "a man of many desires"
	4.	tendency - a general direction in which something tends to move; "the shoreward tendency of the current"; "the trend of the stock market" trend direction, way - a line leading to a place or point; "he looked the other direction"; "didn't know the way home"

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tendency

noun 1. trend, drift, movement, turning, heading, course, drive, bearing, direction, bias

noun 2. inclination, leaning, bent, liability, readiness, disposition, penchant, propensity, susceptibility, predisposition, predilection, proclivity, partiality, proneness

Translations

tendency [ˈtɛndənsɪ] n → tendencia

tendency [ˈtɛndənsɪ] tend n → tendance f

tendency [ˈtɛndənsɪ] n [of person] → Neigung f [of thing] → Tendenz f

tendency [ˈtɛndənsɪ] n → tendenza