tendency

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ten=den=cy
• COUNT in NET: 1 in 1 verses (in OT : 1 in 1 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

tendency, n. [L. tendents, -entis, p. pr. of tendere: cf. F. tendance. See Tend to move.].

 Direction or course toward any place, object, effect, or result; drift; causal or efficient influence to bring about an effect or result.  [1913 Webster]
"Writings of this kind, if conducted with candor, have a more particular tendency to the good of their country."  [1913 Webster]
"In every experimental science, there is a tendency toward perfection."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Disposition; inclination; proneness; drift; scope; aim.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tendency, n. (pl. -ies)
1 (often foll. by to, towards) a leaning or inclination, a way of tending.
2 a group within a larger political party or movement.

Etymology

med.L tendentia (as TEND(1))

THESAURUS

tendency

affinity, aim, an ear for, an eye for, animus, aptitude, aptness, azimuth, bag, bearing, bent, bias, body-build, brand, capacity for, cast, chance, character, characteristic, characteristics, chosen kind, complexion, composition, constituents, constitution, course, crasis, cup of tea, current, curve, custom, dharma, diathesis, direction, direction line, disposition, drift, druthers, eccentricity, ethos, expectation, fair expectation, fancy, favor, favorable prospect, felicity, fiber, flair, frame, genius, genius for, gift for, good chance, grain, habit, heading, helmsmanship, hue, humor, humors, idiosyncrasy, ilk, inclination, inclining, individualism, innate aptitude, kidney, kind, lay, leaning, liability, lie, likelihood, likeliness, line, line of direction, line of march, make, makeup, mental set, mettle, mind, mind-set, mold, movement, nature, navigation, odds, orientation, outlook, partiality, particular choice, penchant, personal choice, physique, piloting, point, predilection, predisposition, preference, prejudice, prepossession, presumption, presumptive evidence, probabilism, probability, proclivity, proneness, propensity, property, prospect, quality, quarter, range, readiness, reasonable ground, reasonable hope, run, set, shift, slant, somatotype, sort, spirit, stamp, steerage, steering, strain, streak, stripe, style, suchness, susceptibility, system, taste, temper, temperament, tenor, thing, tone, track, trend, turn, turn for, turn of mind, twist, type, usage, vein, verisimilitude, warp, way, well-grounded hope

ROGET THESAURUS

tendency

Intention

N intent, intention, intentionality, purpose, quo animo, project, undertaking, predetermination, design, ambition, contemplation, mind, animus, view, purview, proposal, study, look out, final cause, raison d'etre, cui bono, object, aim, end, the be all and the end all, drift, tendency, destination, mark, point, butt, goal, target, bull's-eye, quintain, prey, quarry, game, decision, determination, resolve, fixed set purpose, settled purpose, ultimatum, resolution, wish, arriere pensee, motive, teleology, intended, intentional, advised, express, determinate, prepense, bound for, intending, minded, bent upon, at stake, on the anvil, on the tapis, in view, in prospect, in the breast of, in petto, teleological, intentionally, advisedly, wittingly, knowingly, designedly, purposely, on purpose, by design, studiously, pointedly, with intent, deliberately, with one's eyes open, in cold blood, for, with a view, with an eye to, in order to, in order that, to the end that, with the intent that, for the purpose of, with the view of, in contemplation of, on account of, in pursuance of, pursuant to, quo animo, to all intents and purposes, The road to hell is paved with good intentions, sublimi feriam sidera vertice.

Tendency

N tendency, aptness, aptitude, proneness, proclivity, bent, turn, tone, bias, set, leaning to, predisposition, inclination, propensity, susceptibility, conatus, nisus, liability, quality, nature, temperament, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, cast, vein, grain, humor, mood, drift, conduciveness, conducement, applicability, subservience, tending, conducive, working towards, in a fair way to, calculated to, liable, subservient, useful, subsidiary, for, whither.

Direction

N direction, management, managery, government, gubernation, conduct, legislation, regulation, guidance, bossism, legislature, steerage, pilotage, reins, reins of government, helm, rudder, needle, compass, guiding star, load star, lode star, pole star, cynosure, supervision, superintendence, surveillance, oversight, eye of the master, control, charge, board of control, command, premiership, senatorship, director, chair, portfolio, statesmanship, statecraft, kingcraft, queencraft, ministry, ministration, administration, stewardship, proctorship, agency, director, directing, hegemonic, at the helm, at the head of, direction, bearing, course, vector, set, drift, tenor, tendency, incidence, bending, trending, dip, tack, aim, collimation, steering steerage, point of the compass, cardinal points, North East, South, West, N by E, ENE, NE by N, NE, rhumb, azimuth, line of collimation, line, path, road, range, quarter, line of march, alignment, allignment, air line, beeline, straight shoot, directed, directed towards, pointing towards, bound for, aligned, with alligned with, direct, straight, undeviating, unswerving, straightforward, North, Northern, Northerly, towards, on the road, on the high road to, en avant, versus, to, hither, thither, whither, directly, straight as an arrow, forwards as an arrow, point blank, in a bee line to, in a direct line to, as the crow flies, in a straight line to, in a bee line for, in a direct line for, in a straight line for, in a bee line with, in a direct line with, in a straight line with, in a line with, full tilt at, as the crow flies, before the wind, near the wind, close to the wind, against the wind, windwards, in the wind's eye, through, via, by way of, in all directions, in all manner of ways, quaquaversum, from the four winds, the shortest distance between two points is a stra.