proclivity
nounUK /pɹəʊˈklɪvɪti/ · CA, US /pɹoʊˈklɪvɪti/
Etymology From Latin prōclīvitās, from prōclīvis (“prone to”).
1
A predisposition or natural inclination, propensity, or a predilection; especially, a strong disposition or bent.
- The child has a proclivity for exaggeration.
- This therefore was the reason why the still comparatively young though dissolute man who now addressed Stephen was spoken of by some with facetious proclivities as Lord John Corley.1922 February, James Joyce, “[16]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
3 more examples
- The idea is that the choice of x when facing the alternatives #92;#123;x,y#92;#125; reveals a proclivity for choosing x over y that we should expect to see reflected in the individual's behavior when faced with the alternatives #92;#123;x,y,z#92;#125;.1995, Andreu Mas-Colell, Michael D. Whinston, and Jerry R. Green, Microeconomic Theory, Oxford University Press, page 10:
- The sermon that morning was ostensibly about healthy sexual relationships, but scathing critiques of capitalism and corporations also got significant airtime. (“I have leftist proclivities,” Brown explained.)2016 March 22, Emma Green, quoting Pastor Brown, “Where Is the Church in the Black Lives Matter Movement?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 16 Apr 2019:
- A contingent of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs have spurred a rightward shift, leading to the rise of the “Liberaltarian” — a term coined by two Stanford political economists to describe the tech industry’s proclivity toward trumpeting liberalism in some social issues but maintaining antigovernment posturing in regulating businesses.2025 August 4, Mike Isaac, “A.I. Has Ushered in Silicon Valley’s ‘Hard Tech’ Era”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2025: