What does predisposition mean?
Word: Predisposition
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Predisposition means a natural leaning that makes a person likely to behave, feel or react in a particular way.
Synonyms: susceptibility
How do you spell predisposition?
Syllables: pre - dis - po - si - tion
Tricky part: The word starts with pre, said 'pree', not per: perdisposition is a common slip.
Watch out for: perdisposition, pridisposition
Memory tip: Pre means before: a predisposition is in you before anything happens, just as a pre-test comes before the exam.
Predisposition in a sentence
Example 1: Meera has a predisposition towards careful, neat work.
Example 2: A predisposition to hay fever runs in our family.
Example 3: Good teachers notice each student's predisposition and build on it.
Fun Fact
Doctors often ask about a family's health history, because knowing about a family predisposition to a condition can be a reason for early check-ups.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Which of these words can take the prefix pre to form a real word?
pre
a) kindness
b) nature
c) disposition
d) temper
Show answer
c) disposition. Adding pre to disposition gives the word on this page; prekindness, pretemper and prenature are not words.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
predisp_s_tion
a) o, i
b) o, e
c) a, i
d) o, o
Show answer
a) o, i. The middle syllables are said po and si, with an o and then an i.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word predisposition as used in the sentence:
Some people have a predisposition to catch colds every winter.
a) aversion
b) remedy
c) immunity
d) tendency
Show answer
d) tendency. A predisposition to catch colds is a tendency to catch them more easily than others.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are misspelt. Choose the meaning of the correctly spelt one.
1. instinkt 2. hereditery 3. predisposition 4. personallity
a) passed down from parents to children
b) a natural readiness to behave or react in a certain way
c) the qualities that make up a person's character
d) a natural way of behaving that is not learnt
Show answer
b) a natural readiness to behave or react in a certain way. Hereditary ends in ary, personality has one l, and instinct has a c.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone with a predisposition to motion sickness is ____.
a) more likely than others to feel sick in a car
b) unwilling to go anywhere at all by car
c) sure never to feel sick on any long trip
d) a doctor who treats people with travel sickness
Show answer
a) more likely than others to feel sick in a car
2. Which phrase is closest to 'a predisposition towards music'?
a) a natural pull towards music
b) a habit of avoiding music
c) a music lesson at school
d) a song for small children
Show answer
a) a natural pull towards music
