Penchant

WORD OF THE DAY
penchant \ PEN-chunt \ noun
 
Definition
1: a strong and continued inclination; broadly
2: liking


Examples
"The irony is that acting young kept me out of trouble, giving me a sense of focus and purpose. I had a penchant for adventure."
— Juliette Lewis, quoted in The Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2015


"Among the many school-year rituals, none stands out in my mind more than picture day.… Ever eager to look my best, I had a penchant for trying something different with my hair—with less-than-stellar results."
— Becky Kover, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, 4 Aug. 2014


Did You Know?
Like its synonyms leaning, propensity, and proclivity, penchant implies a strong instinct or liking for something. But these four words, while similar, are also distinguished by subtle differences. Leaning usually suggests a liking or attraction not strong enough to be decisive or uncontrollable ("a student with artistic leanings"), whereas propensity tends to imply a deeply ingrained and usually irresistible inclination ("a propensity to offer advice").
Proclivity frequently suggests a strong, natural proneness to something objectionable or evil ("a proclivity for violence"). Penchant, a descendant of Latin pendere (meaning "to weigh"), typically implies a strongly marked taste in the person ("a penchant for jazz music") or an irresistible attraction in the object ("a penchant for taking risks").