propensity

«propensity» in Mova's school dictionary: A natural habit of behaving in a certain way, a tendency:… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a propensity, propensities) — formal

meaning for a pupil

(formal) A natural habit of behaving in a certain way, a tendency: «a propensity to tell jokes», «a propensity for getting lost». tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories and reports it describes someone's typical behaviour; in science it can describe how likely something is to happen. Phrases: «a propensity to», «a propensity for».

examples

• My dog has a propensity to chew socks. tree →
• She has a propensity for getting into trouble. tree →
• Some metals have a propensity to rust. tree →
• His propensity to exaggerate made people doubt him. tree →
• Cats have a propensity for sleeping in sunny spots. tree →
• This rope has a propensity to tangle. tree →

note

Countable: propensity, propensities. Use «a propensity to + verb» or «a propensity for + noun/-ing». Formal; simpler: «tendency», «habit». Not the same as «property» or «prosperity».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «propensity» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.