propensity

UK/pɹəˈpɛnsɪti/US/pɹəˈpɛnsɪti/

nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,916 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: propensities

A propensity is a natural tendency to behave in a certain way. A propensity for trouble, a propensity to exaggerate, the propensity to save.

In economics the marginal propensity to consume is a measured quantity, being the share of extra income that gets spent. In ordinary use it is a shade more formal than tendency and usually concerns behaviour.

Definitions of propensity

1nounpropensityA natural tendency to behave in a certain way.C1
“My brother has a propensity for losing his keys at the worst possible moment.”

propensity is a tendency.

Where it comes from

Latin propensus means inclined, from propendere, to hang forward.

New Latin
prōpensitās
English, today
propensity

New Latin prōpensitās. by surface analysis, propense + -ity.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

propensity in the wild

The marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is the fraction of a change in disposable income that is consumed.
Disposable income
Restated, the marginal propensity to save is 35%.
Disposable income
WHIP reflects a pitcher's propensity for allowing batters to reach base, therefore a lower WHIP indicates better performance.
Walks plus hits per inning pitched
The marginal propensity to save (MPS) is the fraction of an increase in income that is not spent and instead used for saving.
Marginal propensity to save
The proportion of disposable income which individuals spend on consumption is known as propensity to consume.
Marginal propensity to consume

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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