Meaning & Definition of Tendency in English

1. An attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others

• "He had an inclination to give up too easily"

• "A tendency to be too strict"

2. An inclination to do something

• "He felt leanings toward frivolity"

3. A characteristic likelihood of or natural disposition toward a certain condition or character or effect

• "The alkaline inclination of the local waters"

• "Fabric with a tendency to shrink"

4. A general direction in which something tends to move

• "The shoreward tendency of the current"

• "The trend of the stock market"