propensity

propensity
noun
pro·;pen·;si·;ty pr;-;pen(t)-s;-t;
pluralpropensities
Synonyms of propensity
: an often intense natural inclination or preference


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You'll Like the Etymology of Propensity

When it comes to synonyms of propensity, the letter "p" predominates. Proclivity, preference, penchant, and predilection all share with propensity the essential meaning of "a strong instinct or liking." Not every word that is similar in meaning to propensity begins with "p," however. Propensity comes from Latin propensus, the past participle of propend;re, a verb meaning "to incline" or "to hang forward or down." Thus leaning and inclination are as good synonyms of propensity as any of those "p"-words.

Synonyms
aptness
proneness
tendency
way
Choose the Right Synonym for propensity
leaning, propensity, proclivity, penchant mean a strong instinct or liking for something.

leaning suggests a liking or attraction not strong enough to be decisive or uncontrollable.

a student with artistic leanings
propensity implies a deeply ingrained and usually irresistible inclination.

a propensity to offer advice
proclivity suggests a strong natural proneness usually to something objectionable or evil.

a proclivity for violence
penchant implies a strongly marked taste in the person or an irresistible attraction in the object.

a penchant for taking risks
Examples of propensity in a Sentence
Other researches are exploring how the adolescent propensity for uninhibited risk taking propels teens to experiment with drugs and alcohol.
—Claudia Wallis, Time, 10 May 2004
On the other hand, a jury might be convinced that a meth dealer who had brazenly fired a pistol through his door had a propensity for violence.
—John Cloud, Time, 14 July 2003
A central tenet of this camp's proponents is that a considerable number of biological dispositions evolved during the Stone Age, including a male propensity for making war.
—Bruce Bower, Science News, 27 Jan. 2001
He had a propensity for crime.
the criminal propensities of the family extended over several generations
Recent Examples on the Web
That propensity for misguided behavior is why Yancy was punitively transferred from the Miami PD to the Keys some years back.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2024
Musk is reportedly personally involved with parts of the PAC’s work, which includes an effort to turnout 800,000 low propensity voters in various battleground states, according to the Wall Street Journal.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2024
This propensity took on a special significance after the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2024
Airbnb said listings in Paris reached an all-time high this summer, as enterprising Parisians jumped at the chance to simultaneously escape the crowds and cash in on sports tourists’ propensity to spend.
—Monica Pitrelli, CNBC, 28 July 2024