predilection
noun
Publishers Weekly
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Predilection Has a Versatile Latin Root
Predilection comes from French prédilection and Latin praediligere, meaning "to love more" or "to prefer." In Latin, diligere means "to love."
Synonyms
Examples of predilection in a Sentence
Robert D. Kaplan, The Arabists, 1993
Even seated in the witness chair, he did not remove the light-colored, belted raincoat that, in common with knee-high boots, is a predilection of the Nazi-minded and that, in his case, was nearly identical to the raincoat Hitler habitually wore.
—Kay Boyle, "Preface from the Smoking …," 1950,
in Words that Must Somehow be Said: Selected Essays of Kay Boyle 1927–1984, 1985
The marine sergeants are generally tall fellows with unyielding spines and stiff upper lips, and very exclusive in their tastes and predilections.
—Herman Melville, White Jacket, 1850
a young lad with a predilection for telling tall tales
TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
Depending on your predilections, the title might sound like a misnomer, but there’s a lot of pleasure to be had in crisply balanced moderation, just not the kind that tends to turn living artists into legends.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2024
Missing morning light, almost a given when school bells ring before sunrise, exacerbates teens’ predilection to stay up late.
—TIME, 9 Mar. 2024
Our six panelists, on the other hand, their choices now pruned by the academy’s own predilections, largely staked out common ground in their prognostications of the names to be called when the envelopes are opened on Oscar night.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024
This adaptation resonates with evolving audience predilections, with a clear tilt towards genres like crime, mystery and romance, and the notable upswing in unscripted.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 31 Jan. 2024
There are three strains of wild polio virus (type 1, 2, and 3), and each has its own predilection for causing paralysis.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 5 Feb. 2024
Kathryn Newton stars as Lisa, an odd outcast with a slasher movie-ready tragic backstory and a predilection for hanging out in the cemetery, leaving trinkets at the grave of a handsome young dead guy.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024
Kathryn Newton stars as Lisa, an odd outcast with a slasher-movie-ready tragic backstory and a predilection for hanging out in the cemetery, leaving trinkets at the grave of a handsome young dead guy.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'predilection.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Predilection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predilection. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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predilection
noun
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