tendency to vs tendency for

Both 'tendency to' and 'tendency for' are commonly used in English, but they are used in slightly different contexts. 'Tendency to' is more commonly used when describing a general inclination or likelihood to do something, while 'tendency for' is often used when referring to a specific trend or pattern. Both phrases are correct, but the choice between them depends on the specific context in which they are used.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 1595 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"tendency to"

This phrase is used to describe a general inclination or likelihood to do something.

Examples:

She has a tendency to procrastinate when faced with difficult tasks.
There is a tendency to overspend during the holiday season.

Show examples from the web [+]

These effects showed a tendency to regress after cessation of treatment.
This includes our tendency to develop genetic diseases like scoliosis.
Humans have an innate tendency to anthropomorphize.
A tendency to lean unnaturally forward.
A tendency to demonstrate personality and individuality challenges traditions.
A tendency to protectionist practices is already hurting EU businesses.
I have a tendency to expedite information flow... by being direct.
I do have a tendency to get carried away...
But... she had a tendency to...
I have a tendency to reject before I get rejected.
I had a tendency to be selfish.
I had to explain your tendency to exaggerate.
My harbingers have a tendency to call attention to themselves.
Except for your tendency to end sentences with prepositions.
You always did have a tendency to over-think things.
You have a tendency to get too close to our Jee Hyang.
In some cases, there is even a tendency to conflate organised crime and terrorism.
You have a definite tendency to obsess.
I have a tendency to be a bit obsessive.
You have a tendency to fidget sometimes.

Alternatives:

inclination to
propensity to
likelihood of

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"tendency for"

This phrase is often used when referring to a specific trend or pattern.

Examples:

There is a tendency for prices to rise during times of high demand.
The region has a tendency for severe weather in the summer.

Show examples from the web [+]

I've a particular tendency for all the things that cannot articulate.
The tendency for non-identical twin births is partly hereditary, and the necessary genes are prevalent in the archipelago.
Despite a recent tendency for the innovation performances of individual countries and regions to converge, sharp differences among Member States still remain.
The tendency for larkiness in this place is deplorable.
The tendency for bed-wetting, in many cases, is hereditary.
As described above, there is a tendency for inductance and capacitance of the conductors themselves.
Free software developers have been coping with this tendency for almost 20 years.
It has a high tendency for recurrence and spread along lymphatic channels.
It reduces the tendency for suffering fatigue, and ensures a active energy in an individual.
Nowadays, the tendency for pictures in the Internet has become as mad as itself.
This may result in the tendency for concepts of supernatural agents to inevitably cross connect with human intuitive moral feelings (evolutionary behavioral guidelines).
Marked tendency for skin, and lymph nodes
Therefore, patients who present antibodies of this type have an increased tendency for the formation of clots in their blood vessels (thrombosis).
There is also a tendency for aggregation of disease, family support, especially on the native line.
It's normal, people want variety and value individuality; thus, the tendency for you is to find something unusual and extraordinary all the time.
Women have a greater tendency for hormonal imbalance due to their ever changing hormones due to menstrual cycles, menopause, pregnancy and child birth.
There has been a tendency for the unemployment rate to rachet up to a higher level with each recession.
There is a tendency for the original channels to become clogged as society develops new ways.Congested, those earlier ways fall into disuse.
The second disadvantage may be the tendency for most trained fighters to follow certain predictable patterns when they fight.
That exception was a tendency for the input switching to skip between source selections too quickly making it difficult to settle on the preferred selection.

Alternatives:

trend for
pattern of
propensity for

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tendency to vs tendency for

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