propensity

Word family

pro·pen·si·ty /prəˈpensəti/ noun (plural propensities) [countableC usually singular]

formalOFTEN a natural tendency to behave in a particular way 倾向；习性

propensity to do something

the male propensity to fight

男性好斗的天性

propensity for

He seems to have a propensity for breaking things.

他好像老是打碎东西。

Examples from the Corpus

propensity• He was. a gifted man, but had a propensity for falling into bad associations.• All objects have a propensity to move in straight lines, upwards or downwards, towards their natural place.• Yet this is exactly the behavioural propensity of the id uncovered by clinical psychoanalysis.• I can tell about my propensity toward middle age spread simply by trying to fit into my double-breasted blazer.• The trouble was that George had a needling propensity for deception that could not be slaked.• The recorded figures exaggerate the increase in victimization which is occurring, mainly because of a greater public propensity to report certain crimes.• The cousin was Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Pictures and a man with a sentimental propensity for hiring his relatives.• In turn, the propensity to marry can be measured by estimating the proportion of women still unmarried at ages 35-44.

have ... propensity• All objects have a propensity to move in straight lines, upwards or downwards, towards their natural place.

From Longman Business Dictionary

propensitypro·pen·si·ty /prəˈpensəti/ noun (plural propensities) [countableC]

1a tendency to behave in a particular way

The plastic-bodied car’s propensity to catch fire killed demand.

2marginal propensity to consumeECONOMICS the relationship between a change in people’s income and the change in the amount that they spend on goods

The marginal propensity to consume is 0.8, because for every £10 million rise in income, consumption rises by £8 million, and the marginal propensity to save is 0.2.

3marginal propensity to importECONOMICS the relationship between a change in people’s income in a country, and the change in the amount that the country imports

The marginal propensity to import is 0.2, so that for every £10 million rise in income, spending on imports rises by £2 million.

4marginal propensity to saveECONOMICS when there is a change in people’s income, the change in the amount that they save in relation to the amount they spend

Origin propensity

(1500-1600) propense “tending” ((16-19 centuries)), from Latin, past participle of propendere “to lean toward”

pro·pen·si·ty noun

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus