-niŋ, -nēŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English leninge, from Old English hlinung, hlining, from hleonian, hlinian to lean + -ung, -ing -ing
1. : the act or an instance of deviating from a vertical position : slope
detected a certain list or leaning of the tower
2. : inclination
had a strong leaning toward law
a reformer with radical leanings — Martin Gardner
Synonyms:
propensity , proclivity , penchant , flair : leaning suggests a liking or attraction likely to influence although often not decisive about an eventual choice, policy, or course
in spite of their antirationalistic leanings, the mystics of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries remained true to the established doctrines — Frank Thilly
an able comedy actor with a leaning towards farce — E.H.Collis
propensity may apply to an innate or deeply engrained longing or attraction making a certain course of action highly probable
only precariously civilized and within us there is the propensity, persistent as the force of gravity, to revert under stress and strain, under neglect or temptation, to our first natures — Walter Lippman
proclivity may apply to a strong inclination, sometimes notably individual, often to one indulged or manifested
her free speech, her Continental ideas, and her proclivity for championing new causes even when she did not know much about them — Willa Cather
despite her proclivity for gossip she was reticent upon family affairs — A.J.Cronin
penchant may indicate a decided taste for, special ability at, or strong proclivity for
Americans, though in years now well in the past, had shown a penchant for tinkering with the money supply — J.K.Galbraith
the psychiatrist does not deny that the child who rebels against his father is in many significant ways different from the same individual as a middle-aged adult who has a penchant for subversive theories — Edward Sapir
flair may refer to an instinctive ability or perception joined with innate power of discernment; it may also be a synonym for aptitude, talent, or knack
good, although not quite tops, at his job until about a year before. Then something had happened to his judgment — his flair — Frances & Richard Lockridge
as an ordinary clergyman he showed a great flair for organizing and the true ministry — George Bellairs