Inclinations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Tendencies or natural predispositions that affect a person's choices and behaviors
2. Natural propensities or leanings that shape how individuals act and respond in various situations
3. A person's inherent or learned preferences that guide their decisions or behavior

Etymology: "Inclinations" is the plural of "inclination," so its history is that of the singular noun. The base is the verb "incline," which comes from Latin "inclinare," meaning to bend or lean toward something. Its noun form, "inclinatio," described the act of bending or leaning, and English took it through Old French "inclination" into Middle English as "inclinacioun" or "inclinacyon." The word's physical sense of a slope or bend is still present, but the more common use is figurative. A leaning toward something, whether a physical tilt or a mental disposition, became a way of describing the natural bent of a person's mind or taste. So when someone speaks of their inclinations, they are describing the directions their own tendencies tend to lean, much as a plant bends toward light.

Synonyms: tendencies, preferences, leanings, dispositions, proclivities

Antonyms: aversion, disinclination, indifference