tendency
B2Formal
Definition
Meaning
an inclination or predisposition to behave, act, think, or develop in a particular way.
A general movement or direction in the way something is developing or changing over time; a prevailing current in opinion, fashion, or social behavior.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Denotes a recurring pattern or direction, not necessarily inevitable but statistically likely. Often used to describe inherent qualities in people, systems, or trends.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. Spelling and pronunciation follow regional norms.
Connotations
Slightly more common in British formal/academic writing (e.g., 'political tendency'), but equally used in both varieties.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both varieties, common in academic, journalistic, and business contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
to have a tendency to + INFa tendency for + NP + to + INFa tendency towards/toward(s) + NP/V-ingshow a tendency to + INFVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Bucking the tendency”
- “A tendency of the times”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to describe market trends, consumer behavior patterns, or company culture shifts (e.g., 'a tendency towards remote work').
Academic
Common in statistical analysis ('central tendency'), sociology, psychology, and history to describe patterns or inclinations.
Everyday
Used to describe personal habits or general observations (e.g., 'He has a tendency to be late').
Technical
In medicine, a susceptibility to a condition; in physics/engineering, a directional force or trend.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He tends to exaggerate.
- Prices are tending upwards.
American English
- She tends to arrive early.
- The data tends to support our hypothesis.
adverb
British English
- Prices moved tendency upward during the quarter.
- (Rare usage)
American English
- The graph climbed tendency to the right.
- (Rare/technical usage)
adjective
British English
- The tendentious article was heavily criticised.
- A tendential analysis of the market.
American English
- His tendentious arguments lacked balance.
- We observed a tendential shift in voter behavior.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I have a tendency to lose my keys.
- There is a tendency for it to rain in April.
- She has a strong tendency to worry about small things.
- The data shows a tendency for sales to increase in December.
- Recent years have seen a growing tendency among young people to pursue freelance careers.
- His argument revealed a clear tendency towards oversimplification.
- The inherent tendency of the system to favour incumbents has been well documented by political scientists.
- One must guard against the tendency to conflate correlation with causation in statistical analysis.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'TEND' + 'ency'. If you TEND to do something often, you have a TENDENCY for it.
Conceptual Metaphor
DIRECTION IS A TENDENCY (e.g., 'The tendency is upward'), INCLINATION IS A FORCE (e.g., 'A strong tendency pushed him towards...').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating 'тенденция' only as 'trend'. 'Tendency' implies a likelihood or inclination, while 'trend' is the observable direction of change itself.
- Confusion with 'склонность' (which is closer) and 'тенденция' (which can be 'trend').
Common Mistakes
- Using 'tendency of doing' instead of 'tendency to do' or 'tendency towards doing'.
- Confusing 'tendency' (inclination) with 'trend' (observable pattern over time).
Practice
Quiz
Which word is NOT a close synonym for 'tendency' in the sentence: 'He has a tendency to interrupt.'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Tendency' refers to an inherent inclination or likelihood of something happening. 'Trend' refers to the general direction in which something is developing or changing over time. A trend is what you observe; a tendency is what causes or explains it.
Yes, 'tendency' is neutral. It can be positive ('a tendency towards generosity'), negative ('a tendency to complain'), or neutral ('a tendency to fluctuate'). The context provides the value judgment.
The most common are 'to' + infinitive ('a tendency to forget'), 'toward(s)' + noun/gerund ('a tendency towards violence/a tendency towards overeating'), and 'for' + noun phrase + 'to' + infinitive ('a tendency for prices to rise').
It is primarily a countable noun (e.g., 'several tendencies', 'a tendency'). It is rarely used uncountably, except in very abstract philosophical contexts.