penchant
noun
Did you know?
English has multiple p-words that imply a strong instinct or liking for something, including propensity and proclivity, but to keep things precise, penchant is the proper word for implying a pronounced, persistent taste in a person ("a penchant for pretty pendants") or a predominant predilection for performing particular actions ("a penchant for petting penguins"). Penchant traces back all the way to the Latin verb pendere, meaning "to weigh," but is more immediately preceded in English by the French word penchant, from the present participle of pencher, meaning "to incline."
Examples of penchant in a Sentence
Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005
Whether manifested in feminine decor or in an approach to teaching that assumes a female penchant for cooperative, or "connected," learning, stereotypical notions of femininity often infect institutions for women and girls.
—Wendy Kaminer, Atlantic, April 1998
From both her father and mother she had inherited a penchant for art, literature, philosophy, and music. Already at eighteen she was dreaming of painting, singing, writing poetry, writing books, acting—anything and everything.
—Theodore Dreiser, The Titan, 1914
a penchant for sitting by the window and staring moodily off into space
Joe Reid, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
But that’s the premise of Grave Conversations, a series hosted by David Dastmalchian, an actor known for his penchant for the macabre.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025
Maryland barely escaped a ferocious Rams opponent seeking its first Sweet 16 since 1969 and will have to shore up its defense and rectify its penchant for falling into early deficits before facing No. 1 seed Florida.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 24 Mar. 2025
Or maybe Winston will continue his maddening penchant for interceptions that led the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft to flame out in Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Cleveland.
—Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penchant
Cite this Entry
“Penchant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penchant. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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penchant
noun
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