penchant

[ pen-chuhnt; French pahn-shahn ]

noun

1. a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something:

   a penchant for outdoor sports.

penchant

/ ˈpɒŋʃɒŋ /

noun

1. a strong inclination or liking; bent or taste

Word History and Origins

Origin of penchant¹

1665–75; < French, noun use of present participle of pencher to incline, lean < Vulgar Latin *pendicāre, derivative of Latin pendēre to hang

Word History and Origins

Origin of penchant¹

C17: from French, from pencher to incline, from Latin pendēre to be suspended

Idioms and Phrases

see have a penchant for .

Example Sentences

Don’t take personally the Sagittarius penchant to run away at a moment’s notice to a faraway land promising the stimulation they not just crave but require to fuel their hyperactive brains.

From Los Angeles Times

And when glass ceilings for women in music were hit, you could understand her thirst to make every idea and new discipline count, and the penchant for excess that went with it.

From Los Angeles Times

She said "he had a penchant for touching and spying on young adolescent boys and his desires were easily satisfied because of the positions he held".

From BBC

But it also “does carry downstream risks or costs,” Schickler said, particularly given Trump’s penchant for “retribution politics” and outright threats to the state.

From Los Angeles Times

Gov. Robinson's penchant for hateful speech and rhetoric, saying that he was unfit to lead the state.

From Salon

Related Words

• affection
• affinity
• predilection
• proclivity
• propensity
• taste
• tendency
• weakness