Penchant   (pronounced pen-chunt) noun


Definition

a strong liking or inclination for something; taste; a proneness to a particular kind of thought or action.

Main Example

  • The advent of every new home entertainment technology such as VCRs, DVDs, and giant TV screens has been accompanied by predictions that people will stop going to cinema theaters. Yet, each year we hear about new box office records and this summer is no exception. Why? Because of our penchant for watching movies in theaters where the experience is much more profound.

    Workplace Examples

  • What! Another organization restructuring? Sid seems to have a real penchant for reshuffling everyone's jobs. Isn't this the fifth or sixth change since he became manager?

  • If you want to confirm whether or not she was at that meeting two years ago, just ask Peter. He has this remarkable penchant for keeping meticulous records of who attended which meeting, and even what they uttered!

    Other Examples

  • your penchant for detail or for writing comprehensive e-mails

  • the American penchant for donating time or money to charities

  • President Bill Clinton's reported penchant for fast food and President George W. Bush's for bologna sandwiches

  • the late actress Greta Garbo's fabled penchant for privacy and staying out of the public eye

    © 2003 V.J. Singal

    This Month's Other Words

    Evanescent
    Prevaricate
    Arcane and Arcana
    Monolith
    Protestation
    Egomaniacal
    Intractable

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