propensity

Intermediatezipf 3.16

Pronunciation

/prəˈpɛnsəti/(pruh-PEN-sih-tee)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

倾向；癖好（自然的、内在的倾向性）

Definition

A natural inclination or tendency to behave in a particular way.

Word family

  • propense/prəˈpɛns/(adj
  • rare)倾向的

Collocations

  • propensity for
  • propensity to
  • natural propensity
  • propensity for violence

Examples

  1. 1.He has a propensity for taking unnecessary risks. (natural tendency)
  2. 2.The study examined children's propensity to imitate adult behavior. (inclination)

Synonyms

  • tendency/ˈtɛndənsi/— general inclination
  • inclination/ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃən/— leaning toward
  • predisposition/ˌpriːdɪspəˈzɪʃən/— pre-existing tendency

Etymology

from Latin "propensus" = hanging forward — pro- (forward) + pendere (to hang) — leaning toward