as in inclinations
a habitual attraction to some activity or thing
a young lad with a predilection for telling tall tales
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Recent Examples of predilections
Peggy isn’t panicked by her son’s alpha-male predilections.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
But tell that to the phalanx of local and national entities — from community boards to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — that don't share their predilections.
—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
18 Jan. 2026
The big unknown, of course, is how long Trump is willing to stay selling the idea, and whether Republicans will bend to his predilections.
—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
PlatinumGames share many of the same predilections at Team Ninja (mainly boobs and violence) but carved their own niche as the creators of hyper-kinetic action games like Bayonetta that stretch the boundaries of what the human attention span can manage.
—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
20 Oct. 2025
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
But tell that to the phalanx of local and national entities — from community boards to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission — that don't share their predilections.
—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
18 Jan. 2026
The big unknown, of course, is how long Trump is willing to stay selling the idea, and whether Republicans will bend to his predilections.
—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
PlatinumGames share many of the same predilections at Team Ninja (mainly boobs and violence) but carved their own niche as the creators of hyper-kinetic action games like Bayonetta that stretch the boundaries of what the human attention span can manage.
—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predilections
Noun
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Getty Choosing a college major has always been a big life decision, influenced by not only personal inclinations and talents, but also by starting salaries.
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There were inclinations to not fully believe in their capabilities against Argentina.
Noun
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The same tendencies people are routinely told to correct are, in moderate form, closely tied to a busier, more exploratory style of thinking than most self-improvement advice accounts for.
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Plath shows up in Dederer’s book about (mostly) men who make great art and live monstrous lives (and what to do with them), but only as a woman who turns her violent tendencies against herself.
Noun
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For this class, the premise is that your purpose in life lies to the intersection of your values, your aptitudes and your interests.
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This model reflects Japan’s long-standing corporate culture, which prioritizes new hires for their general potential—their aptitudes and aspirations, as opposed to their current skill sets or university majors—and then trains them on the job.
Noun
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In her memoir, Andrews mentions that her children briefly attended UCLA Lab School and that Joanna had affinities for horseback riding and reading.
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Spanish society has always had a relatively high tolerance for Latin American immigrants, who speak the local language and share certain cultural affinities.
Cite this Entry
“Predilections.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predilections. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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