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as in trend
a prevailing or general movement or inclination we'll be seeing a tendency for skirt lengths to get shorter this coming season

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word tendency different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of tendency are current, drift, tenor, and trend. While all these words mean "movement in a particular direction," tendency implies an inclination sometimes amounting to an impelling force.

a general tendency toward inflation

In what contexts can current take the place of tendency?

Although the words current and tendency have much in common, current implies a clearly defined but not necessarily unalterable course.

an encounter that changed the current of my life

When is it sensible to use drift instead of tendency?

In some situations, the words drift and tendency are roughly equivalent. However, drift may apply to a tendency determined by external forces, or it may apply to an underlying or obscure trend of meaning or discourse.

the drift of the population away from large cities
got the drift of her argument

Where would tenor be a reasonable alternative to tendency?

The synonyms tenor and tendency are sometimes interchangeable, but tenor stresses a clearly perceptible direction and a continuous, undeviating course.

the tenor of the times

When can trend be used instead of tendency?

The words trend and tendency can be used in similar contexts, but trend applies to the general direction maintained by a winding or irregular course.

the long-term trend of the stock market is upward

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tendency There’s a growing tendency to lease physical items. Larry Magid, Mercury News, 17 July 2025 In part, this follows from the longer-term tendency to rely on U.S. leadership in the region, letting Washington take the lead in trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Garret Martin, The Conversation, 15 July 2025 The team found a strong link between ADHD traits and disrupted sleep patterns – especially severe insomnia, poor sleep quality and a tendency toward later sleep schedules. New Atlas, 14 July 2025 The bill ultimately continues a generations-long Republican tendency to transfer wealth upward while abandoning working Americans. Davis: The wealth transfer Trump seeks is from government to taxpayers. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for tendency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tendency
Noun
  • Even Major League Baseball hopped on the trend at Citizens Bank Park, where the Philadelphia Phillies' mascot, Phillie Phanatic, recreated the moment with a feminine version of the mascot.
    Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 22 July 2025
  • The cycle can become so accidentally ubiquitous that the former kids who blissfully existed outside of whatever discourses these trends or bands started in their heyday wonder now, as adults, what was so bad about them in the first place.
    Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2025
Noun
  • At the Soul Train Awards in 1997, Da Brat arrived outfitted in a similarly referential look, but her look evoked tomboy inclinations.
    Julian Randall, Essence, 3 July 2025
  • At a June 5 press conference, one day after the General Assembly closed the regular 2024 session, the governor gave his strongest indication to date of an inclination to seek another four-year term with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.
    Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 3 July 2025
Noun
  • Or the ways that the Reyes family has lived in fear since Jose and his father were detained in early May.
    Austin Hornbostel, The Tennessean, 26 July 2025
  • The task force would submit a report with recommendations to the state Legislature after examining the systemic causes of violence against African American women and girls, ways to help victims' families heal, methods to track data to understand the scope of the issue and more.
    Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 26 July 2025
Noun
  • Trying to stop it is like ordering the tides to stop.
    Matt O'Brien, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
  • And—more than most—Jordan knows that this is a tide that can move back in the other direction.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • This combination of process understanding and technical aptitude creates a powerful force for rapid, relevant application development.
    Ed Jennings, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • That his tantalizing talent was matched by a preternatural aptitude.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • Insights stay trapped in departmental silos: Even when AI generates brilliant insights within one department—say, marketing identifies a customer propensity model—those insights often can't flow to sales or service teams.
    Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • Trump himself hinted at this propensity to change his mind quickly.
    Alexander Smith, NBC news, 15 July 2025
Noun
  • Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard closed at Loop 101 Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in Scottsdale was scheduled to close in both directions at Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) from 9 p.m. July 25 to 5 a.m. July 28 for a widening project, according to ADOT.
    Olivia Rose, AZCentral.com, 26 July 2025
  • Cosmic rays bounce across the universe in all directions, meaning Earth is bombarded from all sides by trillions of them.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 25 July 2025
Noun
  • However, instead of removing the minerals from the water, these devices make the minerals soluble in the water.
    Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Mar. 2025
  • However, these incidents underscore the importance of regularly updating your devices to stay protected against evolving threats.
    Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tendency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tendency. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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