PREDISPOSITION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does predisposition mean? 

• PREDISPOSITION (noun)
  The noun PREDISPOSITION has 3 senses:

1. susceptibility to a pathogen

2. an inclination beforehand to interpret statements in a particular way

3. a disposition in advance to react in a particular way

  Familiarity information: PREDISPOSITION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PREDISPOSITION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Susceptibility to a pathogen

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

predisposition; sensitivity

Hypernyms ("predisposition" is a kind of...):

susceptibility; susceptibleness (the state of being susceptible; easily affected)

Attribute:

sensitising; sensitizing (making susceptible or sensitive to either physical or emotional stimuli)

desensitising; desensitizing (making less susceptible or sensitive to either physical or emotional stimuli)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "predisposition"):

habitus (person's predisposition to be affected by something (as a disease))

sensitisation; sensitization (the state of being sensitive (as to an antigen))

hypersensitivity (pathological sensitivity)

diathesis (constitutional predisposition to a particular disease or abnormality)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An inclination beforehand to interpret statements in a particular way

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("predisposition" is a kind of...):

disposition; inclination; tendency (an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "predisposition"):

orientation; predilection; preference (a predisposition in favor of something)

Derivation:

predispose (make susceptible)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A disposition in advance to react in a particular way

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("predisposition" is a kind of...):

disposition (a natural or acquired habit or characteristic tendency in a person or thing)

 Context examples 

Disruptions in this process can result in inviability, premature aging and predisposition to cancers and degenerative diseases.

(Homologous Recombination, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare, inherited predisposition to multiple cancers, caused by an alteration in the p53 tumor suppressor gene.

(Li-Fraumeni syndrome, NCI Dictionary)

A predisposition to retinoblastoma has been associated with 13q14 cytogenetic abnormalities.

(Hereditary Retinoblastoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A germline mutation that increases an individual's susceptibility or predisposition to a certain disease or disorder.

(Cancer-Predisposing Gene, NCI Dictionary)

Testing to determine if there is a predisposition or indication of a possible genetic or a chromosomal abnormality.

(Genetic Screening, NCI Thesaurus)

The inherited predisposition toward getting a cancer

(Hereditary Neoplastic Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

These investigations identify genes and exposures conferring cancer predisposition, and explore the combined effects of predisposition and specific exposures.

(Genetic Epidemiology, NCI Thesaurus)

Disruptions in mitotic recombination may result in predisposition to cancers.

(Mitotic Recombination, NCI Thesaurus)

Unlike for family history, however, the researchers found no strong association between the genetic predisposition for heart disease and the likelihood of experiencing depression.

(Inflammation links heart disease and depression, University of Cambridge)

A rare, autosomal recessive syndrome characterized by the presence of polyhydramnios, neonatal macrosomia, craniofacial abnormalities, nephroblastomatosis, and predisposition to Wilms tumor.

(Perlman Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)