Predilection Meaning
/ˌpɹiː.dəˈlɛk.ʃn̩/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA condition of favoring or liking; a tendency towards; proclivity; predisposition.
Sentence Examples
I have a predilection for beef.
She always had a predilection for round numbers.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The child showed a clear strong ____ for drawing rather than writing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She had a strong ____ for classical music and attended concerts whenever she could.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Medieval Latin praedīlēctiōbor. English predilection Borrowed from Medieval Latin praedīlēctiō.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The young King looked tenderly at Mademoiselle Mancini, who gave him a glance quite as tender in return—not, however, unobserved. His mother had been for some time past a displeased spectator of a predilection which might become dangerous."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XIX, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 219:
"American operating practice aims at the minimum wastage of time by locomotives at water columns and coal stages, and this predilection for shunters with high capacity tenders is thereby explained."
— 1941 November, “Notes and News: American Tank Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 523:
"It was an illusion, of course, generated by Clevinger's predilection for staring fixedly at one side of a question and never seeing the other side at all."
— 1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “Lieutenant Scheisskopf”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 66:
"The appointment as Member of the B.T.C. with "special responsibility for railway workshops" of Sir Steuart Mitchell is in accordance with Mr. Marples' predilection for non-railwaymen in the highest posts."
— 1962 April, “Talking of Trains: From guided weapons to the B.T.C.”, in Modern Railways, page 221:
"A row of houses he regards as a row of necessary evils. The softening and degeneration of the human race he attributes to its progressive predilection for interiors and waning interest in the art of going out and staying there."
— 1967, Flann O’Brien, chapter 2, in The Third Policeman:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The child showed a clear strong ____ for drawing rather than writing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She had a strong ____ for classical music and attended concerts whenever she could.