ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsPpropensity
ISEE/SSAThard
propensity
Meaning: a natural tendency to behave in a particular way
propensity in a sentence
How propensity is used in real sentences:
His propensity for taking risks worried the other climbers.
The puppy's propensity to chew shoes tested the family's patience.
“The pattern revealed a propensity to reject outsiders that ordinary interviews had concealed: resistance appeared far more often under privacy.”
— from the passage Answers Behind a Screen
Synonyms for propensity
Other words for propensity — inclination, tendency and predisposition — carry the same meaning.
- inclination
- tendency
- predisposition
Antonyms of propensity
Words that mean the opposite of propensity:
- aversion
- disinclination
- reluctance
Where it comes from
From Latin propensus, meaning 'inclined or disposed.'
Word parts
- pend/pens — hang, weigh, pay
propensity: pro- (forward) + pens (hang) + -ity (state or quality)
Memory hook
PROPENSITY contains 'PENS': an author with a propensity to write keeps reaching for pens.
Practice propensity in the app