English Dictionary
Definition tendency in British English
tendency
noun
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.
These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
[countable]
noun
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
When a verb comes after tendency, use the pattern tendency to do something (not ‘tendency of doing something’):
✗ …the tendency of accepting anything written on a piece of paper
✓ …the tendency to accept anything written on a piece of paper
✗ …the tendency of treating the Holocaust as if it had never happened
✓ …the tendency to treat the Holocaust as if it had never happened
When another noun comes after tendency, the usual preposition is towards (not ‘of’):
✗ There is a tendency of isolation in modern society.
✓ There is a tendency towards isolation in modern society.
a strong chance that something will happen in a particular way
an aspect of your character that you show by behaving in a particular way
an increasing/growing tendency
We continue to see a tendency towards globalization of brands.
