tendenza

Tendenza is a feminine Italian noun meaning trend, tendency, or inclination. It denotes the general direction in which something is developing or changing and is used across many contexts to describe patterns over time. The plural form is tendenze.

The word derives from Latin tendentia, based on tendere "to stretch, to tend." In Italian it entered through the Romance linguistic family and is cognate with the English tendency and the French tendance.

Usage: In fashion and culture, una tendenza refers to prevailing styles or behaviors. In economics and finance, it denotes the long-term movement of prices, demand, or other variables (for example una tendenza al rialzo meaning an upward trend, or una tendenza al ribasso meaning a downward trend). In sociology or political science, it can describe shifting attitudes or voting patterns. In statistics, tendenza relates to the concept of central tendency, known in Italian as tendenza centrale, which includes measures such as the mean, median, and mode.

Notes: Tendenza conveys a directional pattern rather than a fixed state; when a reversal occurs, Italian often uses cambiamento di tendenza or inversione di tendenza. Other related terms include andamento, inclinazione, and orientamento.