# tendency

Pronunciation: say "TEN-duhn-see" /ˈtɛn.dən.si/

## Noun

1. An inclination to behave in a certain way, or a drift in a particular direction.
   - Simple: A habit of acting a certain way, or of moving in a certain direction.
   - _The committee noted a worrying tendency toward overspending each quarter._
   - _Older bridges have a tendency to develop cracks under heavy traffic._
2. A distinct, organized group that forms one faction of a larger political party or organization.
   - Simple: A smaller group that forms inside a larger political party or movement.
   - _The party's left tendency pushed for nationalizing the railways._
   - _Rival tendencies competed for control of the movement's leadership._

## Origin

From Medieval Latin tendentia, from tendens, the present participle of the verb tendō.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tendency (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).