ten·den·cy 
(tĕndən-sē)
(tĕndən-sē)n. pl. ten·den·cies
1.
a. A characteristic likelihood: fabric that has a tendency to wrinkle.
b. A predisposition to think, act, or proceed in a particular way: his tendency to exaggerate.
c. A characteristic pattern or point of view: the book's tendency to oversimplify events.
2. Movement or prevailing movement in a given direction: observed the tendency of the wind; the shoreward tendency of the current.
[Medieval Latin tendentia, from Latin tendēns, tendent-, present participle of tendere, to tend; see TEND1.]
Synonyms: tendency, trend, current, drift, tenor
These nouns refer to the direction or course of an action or thought. Tendency implies a predisposition to proceed in a particular way: "The tendency of our own day is ... towards firm, solid, verifiable knowledge" (William H. Mallock).
Trend often applies to a general or prevailing direction, especially within a particular sphere: "What makes time an arrow is entropy, the coming apart of all things, the universal trend toward disorder" (Jennifer Ackerman).
Current suggests a course or flow, as of opinion, especially one representative of a given time or place: "the whole current of modern feeling" (James Bryce).
A drift is a tendency that seems driven by a current of events: a drift toward anarchy as the government collapsed. Tenor implies a general or ongoing course: "The tempo, the tenor of life on the mountain and around the mine began to change" (Anita Desai).
These nouns refer to the direction or course of an action or thought. Tendency implies a predisposition to proceed in a particular way: "The tendency of our own day is ... towards firm, solid, verifiable knowledge" (William H. Mallock).
Trend often applies to a general or prevailing direction, especially within a particular sphere: "What makes time an arrow is entropy, the coming apart of all things, the universal trend toward disorder" (Jennifer Ackerman).
Current suggests a course or flow, as of opinion, especially one representative of a given time or place: "the whole current of modern feeling" (James Bryce).
A drift is a tendency that seems driven by a current of events: a drift toward anarchy as the government collapsed. Tenor implies a general or ongoing course: "The tempo, the tenor of life on the mountain and around the mine began to change" (Anita Desai).