propensity
a natural inclination to behave in a particular way
Word origin: From Latin propensus, inclined, from propendere, to hang forward.
Propensity in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing propensity in a sentence.
He has a propensity to interrupt others mid-sentence.
Investors' propensity to follow the crowd amplifies both booms and crashes.
Quick GRE check
3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?
Verbal · Text Completion
Critics initially dismissed the composer's late works as merely blank, but later scholars recognized in them a deliberate restraint that concealed considerable technical sophistication.
Using “propensity” well
A propensity is a built-in inclination to behave a certain way. It is nearly interchangeable with proclivity and predisposition.
More GRE words starting with P
to calm or soothe someone who is angry or agitated
a song or expression of joyful praise or triumph
done with careful and thorough effort
agreeable to the taste or acceptable to the mind
resembling a palace in size or grandeur
rebirth, regeneration, or renewal into a new existence
to ease the severity of something without curing it
pale or lacking vitality and color
Questions about “propensity”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.